School Blues
by lilbabybao
Summary: AU
1. Chapter 1

M is for Masochist

"Thanks Hinata. I feel better now," said Naruto appreciatively for the encouraging sentiments that Hinata had offered him earlier.

They were both leaning over the metal balcony railing of the school's roof overlooking the entrance gates and observing the busy traffic of students exiting the school grounds. School was let out about thirty minutes or so ago and even though it was still early, the sky was already showing signs of a sun trying to make his escape. Swirls of orange and a tinge of purple were delicately painted on the white and light blue canvas of the horizon. It was gustier than usual and the grounds were lay wasted with drifting leaves of yellow, orange, and brown.

Hinata at the moment was feeling nervous and self conscious that her crush was standing near her. They were having a normal conversation like how she had always dreamed about at night when she slumbered. He was feeling down about Sakura not returning his sincere sentiments and was shot down again for the millionth time since he began his upfront one-sided crusade of love.

"I guess I better get going. Soccer practice is about to start. Later Hinata," he said and turned toward her to ruffle her always neatly aligned tresses. She was alarmed by his sudden action and she involuntarily like a scared turtle hunched just slightly so that he couldn't see her sudden heated cheeks and dazed facial expression.

When she finally awoke from her shock and noticed him walking further away from her that she remembered what she had wanted to say since he found her on the roof. She mustered up enough courage to say, "Congratulations on making captain next year!"

He turned around quickly and answered her excitedly, "You're too sweet, Hinata. Someday you will make a guy really happy." He saluted her swiftly and turned around to exit the roof.

Once the door was shut and she knew that he was gone, she finally had the courage to say out loud, "What I wanted to say was that I think you earned it." But too bad those words were wasted on the winds and not for the targeted recipient.

She turned around and again rested her arms on the railings. She was dressed in a navy blazer over a white buttoned shirt, blue green tweed plaid skirt with matching tie, and long navy stockings. She was replaying the recent conversation in her mind and giggling from the rush of memories recalling the different feelings she felt when they spoke.

Suddenly from behind, she was attacked by a projectile of an unknown hard object aimed at her back. It sent an alarming message of pain to her head. She quickly turned around and was hit by another hard object and this time it hit her face. She braced her newly swollen nose and noticed on the ground that she was ambushed by a pair of in house school shoes similar to the ones she wore.

She looked up searching for her assailant and pinpointed the accursed prick. Sasuke Uchiha was lying above the roof's storage room and looking at the sky nonchalantly as if he was not her attacker.

In her fury of sudden wrath, she picked up the shoes, marched toward the storage room and then climbed the ladder to confront the shameless culprit. Once she made it to the top, she stood before him with an enraged anger but the words that were rushing through her mind were rendered unintelligible as it traveled to her oral processes. Due to his lack of reaction by looking straight at her, she was only garbling insults meanwhile becoming more self conscious of making contact with another human being. Confused and upset, she threw his foot wear at him with as much strength as she could achieve through the violence so that he could understand her pain. The shoes bounced off him like plush stuffed animals were the objects thrown at him.

Hinata was a shy person but once in someone's company she was useless in the art of conversation and too conscious of herself to be of any type of desired company. She stayed in her bubble of personal space never allowing anyone to enter. A loner amongst the abundance of students registered there and quiet observer of the many occupants she had to share the large academic facility with. Alas when she finally had the opportunity to speak with the one person she had only been infatuated with but that euphoric moment was lost due to the scoundrel before her.

Again, not a trace of emotion was rendered by her crude classmate and by this point she felt the pang of failure through her attempt to fight back. He laid there unabashed with his tie loosened and a couple of buttons undone. He adorned the same school blazer, white shirt and tie like hers but the only difference were the navy pants and argyle printed socks. He had his legs outstretched comfortably with one arm as his head rest and the other as a sun visor of sorts.

She was about to give up and begin her homeward bound trek down when the Uchiha finally spoke, "No lace? How boring. You might as well wear granny undies with that non-existent sexual appeal of yours." This time the arm shielding the sun was casually lifting up her skirt for a better inspection.

She gasped and blinking in denial of his counter attack on her. From where she stood, he had complete aerial advantage to see what she was wearing underneath her uniform skirt. She was about to scream when he quickly pulled her skirt down toward him dragging her along. She was now kneeling before him and he quickly sat up so that their faces met.

He leaned further in and whispered threateningly, "One word from you and I'll take that virginity of yours'." He physically attacked her with his shoes, verbally criticized her by damaging her self esteem, and now he threatened her with a criminal act. She was in complete distress but her body was telling another story. Her heart was racing, her eyes followed his and anticipated his next act, and something about the way his eyes were looking at her that made her sweat just from wondering what he was thinking.

She was frozen in fear of her dark assailant. Even though she had been observing others, he was never one she noticed. She knew nothing about him except for the fact that he was seen with Naruto most of the time together and that he sat far away from her in class. She knew that his name was always top of the class and that he was the most wanted bachelor amongst the female population. Besides that, they never associated with one another. They always shared the "Do Not Enter" roof but never crossed paths not once. Both ignored the other as if neither were barely existent of the other. But at this very moment, Hinata realized that all this time while she was observing others from up here, someone else above her had probably been observing her all along.

They stared at each other heatedly unblinking for about a minute until he finally made his move. He unabashedly with his fingers traced her quivering lips and slowly not breaking the eye contact, leaned in to lick her lips. Her lips twitched not from his attack but her body was reacting in ways that she couldn't understand herself. How she had dreamed that her first would be taken by Naruto but to be seduced in a way that she couldn't resist was devastating and bewitching at the same time.

All her anger was drained away and replaced with a curiosity. She wasn't self conscious or aware of what she was doing. She just gave in to her new feelings exploding and heightening all her senses. While they kissed, his hands explored places that she had never touched herself and he unearthed sensations she never knew existed.

Suddenly the school intercom came on and Neji's voice could be heard. "Hinata, if you are here, I'll be waiting downstairs with Hanabi in the car. I already took the liberty of taking your school bag so just meet us down in the parking lot," yelled Neji hastily and in his usual demanding tone. The sounds of the intercom turning off were heard over her pounding heart beating and reverberating through her body.

As Neji spoke, Sasuke had already finished buttoning up her shirt. He pocketed her tie and then spoke, "Tomorrow, same time and place." He stood up and jumped down from the tall storage room top and the last thing she saw was his backside slipping away from view and heard the doors open and close.

Still in shock, she quickly found her composure and exited the roof too. She met up with Neji and Hanabi at the car and they drove home. She didn't care that they were lecturing her on her casual appearance minus one tie, messy hair and that stalking was a crime. She wasn't thinking about Naruto or their chance meeting. She wasn't disgusted at herself for being easily violated by a stranger. She was just wondering what she should wear tomorrow that would piss the Uchiha off more: her plain cotton polka-dots or something lacy.


	2. Chapter 2

The Devil Wears Argyle Socks

Searching through the numerous pieces he has collected on his mp3 player device, he finally settles for a difficult Chopin Étude. Once the metronome in his head began to click, he began striking his fingers melodiously on the backside of his backpack along with the instrumental playing in his earplugs.

He closed his eyes and let the music guide his motions meanwhile shoving a slumbering Naruto to the side once in a while with a swift shoulder and arm motion. They were both sitting alone in a train compartment moving at the same speed as a city street car trolley. He zoned out the city sights and train noises and concentrated on his solo performance. The train was old but he loved this type of transportation. It had a history to it and had survived the many generations of this small town and has seen more things than he could ever imagine.

These locomotives to him were uncomplicated. They move from point A to point B. They traveled their routes daily sticking to the course of the scheduled timetables. Too bad, he thought how women couldn't be that easy to figure out.

Fuel the engines and they move. Conditioning and proper maintenance elongates their usefulness and livelihood. Abnormal noises and sparks produced could be easily configured and then fixed. Whereas women, they run a completely different course without timetables or order. Abnormal noises are always heard and varied from time to time. They are loud and without shame gossip at their leisure not caring if it injured anyone's good name. Yet they flock to him like ferocious hungry animals to raw tender juicy meat.

Such silly thinking might explain why he was always intrigued by that Hyuga princess at school. She wasn't like the other lemurs at school, which were always following the latest trends and caking on make-up as if the colorful cosmetic could just miraculously hide their true faces. He hated how the female species always dressed to impress, never hiding what was really behind their clothes which didn't leave much to the imagination.

She had interested him since a long time ago and he always made sure that she was in his line of vision. Not directly in front of him but maybe on the edge of the length of his possible viewing distance span. She dressed in clothes for its functionality and always presented herself in a neat and appropriate style. He was always amazed at how she managed to keep to herself and never dared to approach others unless necessary. How he was drawn to her because of how she never gave him a time day like all the other girls at school did. She didn't see him as the genius or heartthrob but rather as just another human being that she had to share the air with. He was completely at awe with such a creature and the most insulting fact that he couldn't stomach was the way she looked at his loud and obnoxious friend. For all he knew, she defied what he thought what women were.

A smile quickly appeared on his lips as the piece ended and the memory from earlier when he tried to figure out what was it that she was wearing. He shakes the player to randomly pick his next song and continued replaying the storage roof top incident in his mind meanwhile preparing to play air piano again.

Just seeing her with the idiot currently beside him, talking to and touching her made him irritated in a way that he couldn't figure it himself. Seeing her bashfully blushing towards the blond only enraged his anger further. By the time Naruto left the roof, he was so consumed with a high range of mixed emotions that he practically took off his shoes and began throwing them at her. At the moment, all he wanted to do was to wipe that God awful silly grin off her face. Just listening to her mumble nonsense to herself made him want to quickly end his hell.

But eventually the guilt began eating at him and he laid back down hoping that she would just ignore him as always. Strangely enough she came stumbling up the ladder to confront him and allowed him a peep show of sorts with the winds as his accomplice. Outwardly he was showing no signs of emotions but inside he was completely in shock of the princess' behavior. While peeping at her light blue cotton underwear, he couldn't understand why someone like her didn't get her uniform to custom fit herself. The skirt was long and the blazer was hanging over her. She was just amusing to watch even up close.

By the time she was on her knees before him, he was surprised that she didn't wear perfume instead he leaned in to smell a hint of coconut chap stick of sorts. He had to taste it to believe it and sure enough the princess had no make-up or lipstick on. Upon kissing her, he was surprised to see a thermal shirt poking out of her collar and by the time he undid her tie and unbuttoned several buttons, to his amazement she was completely covered any which way he went about undressing her. Her bra was even a pull on type instead of the fastener type so he was nowhere near touching her private assets.

He chuckled from the memory amidst a complicated Debussy movement with a quick tempo. She had a way of surprising him which he enjoyed wholeheartedly. And now strangely enough, she was his. Not in the way that he would have preferred but the strings of fate definitely played a part when his shoes made contact with her. The cogs and gears began revolving and their destinies were now rewritten.

When the train halted and announced the location of the stop, Sasuke and his half awaken companion finally exited the train and stepped onto their platform. They lived near each other on the edge of Konoha city and from the station they only had about a couple of blocks to travel before reaching their homes. On the way, they had to walk through a tunnel to get to their neighborhood.

As they entered the tunnel walkway, they were approached by boys from another High School armed with menacing weapons. Sasuke was upset at himself that he allowed such an ambush to happen upon them when he was always so cautious. He instantly recognizes some of the faces and knew that he was approached by the Kendo Club of which they slaughtered during the summer's National tournament. This must be their way of revenge on him by ganging up on him like animals that always fight in packs due to their own weaknesses.

"Naruto, escape through the emergency man hole and leave these dogs to me. If you don't, I'll rat you out to the school and you could say 'Good Bye' to your baseball career," he said in a threatening tone.

Naruto had his back up against Sasuke's and replied, "Like Hell would I let you have all this fun by yourself. Count me in. I'm a sucka for combo moves. Alright! How about a wager? You and me, let's see who could cause more damage and get outta here alive before witnesses arrives?"

"You're on and loser buys ramen for one week's worth of dinner." Both nodded in unison and began attacking like warrior samurais against a herd of marching soldiers.

Even though he was trained at a young age to use his fingers for the piano only, lately they have become fists of pure brute force. Ever since he quit playing, he had indulged himself in many different sports at school and has invested long hours in perfecting each sport he participated in. Though not in an orthodox manner but his way of diligence and dedication toward the training so fighting against these underhanded types of dogs didn't matter one bit to him.

While they counted each opponent that was knocked down by them, the people surrounding them soon dwindled down to zero. Making the score 12-9 and Naruto the ramen host starting next week after he gets paid this weekend.

Sasuke finally saw on the ground a school tie in the hands of a wounded dog and he quickly realizes that the tie must have fallen amidst the recent rumble of warfare. He quickly dashes toward the fool who dared to touch his belonging and grabs the article of accessory back but before Sasuke's feet hit the offender's head, the wounded person had already registered the name written on the backside of the tie which read: "Property of Hinata Hyuga."

Sasuke hoped that the concussion on the opposing member would obliterate any information from this occurrence as he pockets the tie again.

While they exited the scene and walked home, Naruto was still high from the adrenaline induced fight and Sasuke was wondering what was in store for him tomorrow after school with a nasty wicked smile spread across his face.


	3. Chapter 3

The Ties That Bind

Before even reaching the train station, she already felt the pang of loss when she recognized the train number 757 moving along the tracks as she ran alongside the criss-cross metal fences. She halted to take in more air and let her exhausted body rest for a bit until she could figure her next move.

Her heartbeat was racing and instantly she remembered the city buses. She figured that she might make it and maybe have enough money to board it also. Again, she sped toward that direction of the nearest bus stop that might take the route toward her school.

Racing through the busy morning pedestrian filled roads, she felt that she might just make it in time for school this morning. She was mad at herself for not sleeping early last night. She was awake most of the night figuring out what to wear underneath her skirt that she forgot to set the alarm. By the time morning came, Neji and Hanabi were already gone before she could make her excuses. She figured that they probably tried to wake her up too but she understood that she was never an easy person to wake up when she didn't have her full six hours.

Bus stop targeted and in sight, it was right before her and all she had left to tread was to cross the busy street. She felt like she met her half way point and in her excitement to cross, she fearlessly dashes even with the green crossing light about to turn red. Somehow in her mind, she thought that she could make it. Halfway in mid running stance was when she noticed the loud honking sounds of a moving truck traveling toward her direction.

She was paralyzed from the realization that her foolish act would end with such a horrific folly. She quickly closed her eyes and asked the Gods for forgiveness before entering the gates of the beyond. She also in the back of her subconscious was saying good bye to Naruto's smiling image and regretting never ever in her lifetime voicing her feelings to him.

Again the cogs of fate began turning and Hinata's livelihood was saved when another hand had intervened with her destiny. She felt a hand from behind speeding her sprint that almost felt like she was running on air. It felt like those moments on screen when the actions of the actors were extremely slowed down so that the audience could realize the director's intended moment of a heightened thrilling suspense scene.

All she heard was the truck's booming music bass, its honking and the screeching sounds of the brakes skidding loudly. The hands that had pushed her, were now embracing her. In her trembling state, she closed her eyes in relief that she was still alive and allowed the stranger's warmth to continue to sooth her pounding heart.

By the time she opened her eyes, she realized that they were lying on the street curb of the bus stop and Naruto was standing nearby arguing with the truck driver. By the time she looked down to see who her savior was, she was not pleasantly surprised that it was the Uchiha prick that got her in this mess first of all. In her fury, she by impulse slapped him and screamed, "I hate you!"

While she lifted herself off of him, he grabbed her wrist and screamed back, "Idiot!" He glared at her while her face was consumed with anger and without thinking; she marched off mumbling insults that she would have loved to reply back to him. By the time she was several blocks away from the incident, she realized her purpose for this intended morning. Her objective: arrive to school on time. She halted in disbelief that she was missing one backpack and she had only seven minutes until the first bell ring and maybe about three football fields' worth of distance to cover from where she stood.

Exhausted from her realization, she trudged slowly hoping that she could make it for either first or second period with a tardy. Mad at herself, she was replaying the incident slowly in her mind and placing the puzzle pieces in order of the sequence of events. She hated the Uchiha for what he did yesterday but he didn't deserve what she did just now. Waves of different emotions were crashing upon her conscious mind and the guilt was one she didn't want to feel. She wanted her resentment to be the more important factor.

"Hiiii-iiinn-nnaaat-ttaaaa!" hollered Naruto from behind and waving with one free arm. She wasn't sure what to do. Her mind suggested: running away, converse with a smile, or act like amnesia was the cause of her recent actions. She decided for none of the above and to face her assailant/rescuer with as much respect as one would have from an umpire's point of view toward two opposing teams with a history of rivalry.

She turned around slowly but didn't look up to face them. She was staring at the ground and hoping that their interaction would be quick and painless.

"Hinata, are you ok?" asked Naruto kindly as he approached her slowly walking toward her.

She nodded her head in reply. Her guilt was weighing more heavily on her consciousness as she noticed the two sets of shoes before her.

"You got us nervous there for a second. Oh here, you dropped this." He handed her the book bag that she had left amidst the scramble during her life and death scare.

As she was about to retrieve the item, he pulled it back and Hinata immediately looked up at the two.

"Don't you owe us a thank you," said Naruto in a half lecturing tone and smiling. She quickly shamelessly began bowing, thanking, and apologizing. While she did all that, she noticed that Sasuke didn't look pleased but rather offended by her gestures. She grabbed the backpack from Naruto's hands and without thinking, started walking toward the school. He had a way of drawing the ugliest sides of her was all she thought as she strode along a quieter part of town.

Before she could cross the next street, Naruto asked, "Hinata are you in a club?"

She turned around and noticed both guys were typing a mile a minute on their cellular devices. Once she saw Naruto look up again, she answered, "No."

"Then it's settled. You're our new manager," he said with a smile and this time she realized that there were bandages on their hands and faces. They were each carrying a duffel bag and their book bags.

"Huh," she replied without realizing it.

"We're being excused from homeroom today for shopping and we'll gladly add you in as our club manager since quiet over here hasn't agreed to one yet." Hinata was surprised that they would do that for her considering her rude behavior toward them.

Before Hinata could say thank you, Sasuke finally announced calmly while walking past her, "Temporary."

"You mean you are serious about not having a manager this year. Look, it's already late fall and pretty soon when spring comes, we will definitely need one. Why not induct her in the club now and by spring, she will be a pro," reasoned Naruto.

Sasuke continued walking without looking back or answering which Naruto took as an ok. Naruto and Hinata were walking beside each other behind Sasuke and she couldn't help thinking that the hatred toward the Uchiha was slowly bouncing up and down. She couldn't allow herself to settle her feelings and swallow her pride to thank him properly.

As they approach the south side school gates, Sasuke threw his duffel bag at Naruto. Naruto presented his teacher approved pass and they were soon allowed entrance on the campus grounds by the guard. Naruto quickly left the two to return to their classrooms while he went to drop off the goods in the dojo.

Hinata and Sasuke walked in silence as they strode along the outer school walkway until they finally reached the North hall's shoe lockers. They changed into their in house shoes and Hinata finally realized that she didn't know which club she was managing. She walked over to Sasuke at his locker while he was sitting on the raised shoe changing floor boards probably waiting for her and asked, "What is your club?"

Looking down at him she couldn't understand why he looked so confused or maybe it was irritation, she couldn't tell. He must have been mad because again he lifted her skirt and this time he smiled. Before she knew it, he had pulled her skirt down again which dragged her along and she ended up kneeling before him like yesterday.

She was afraid but her body was betraying her by becoming excited. She closed her eyes hoping that his bullying act would be quick and painless meanwhile her heart was racing maybe even faster than the truck incident.

She could feel him touching her neck and the collar of her shirt but that was all he was touching, he was not touching her lips or face or unbuttoning her shirt. She quickly opened her eyes and was in awe at what he was actually doing.

He had undone her tie and had replaced it with another. She looked up at him and was puzzled of his actions.

Before she could say anything, he yanked at her newly knotted tie ends until he was able to whisper in her ears. He said to her, "The next time we kiss, you will initiate it." His words were heavy on her consciousness and left her speechless while staring at him walking away from her. At the moment, she hated him and herself.

Her cousin's old tie that she without permission borrowed this morning was stuffed in her backpack. She curiously looked at her new one and turned it over. She gasped because of what was written on the back side of the tie. It read: "Property of Sasuke Uchiha."


	4. Chapter 4

Catch and Release

"That's Doctor Kakashi to you," threatened the school physician as he applied more pressure on Sasuke's wounds with the long tweezers holding onto the alcohol cotton swabs.

"Tch, you're all annoying," complained Sasuke as he tried to hold in the pain without wincing.

"So, this stray cat doesn't know the ever so ubiquitous Sasuke Uchiha with an aura of a strong killing intent from the Kendo Club also known as 'The Silent Sword.' That is just intolerable to you, isn't it?" asked Kakashi with a bemused expression while dressing Sasuke's wounds. Doctor Kakashi was wearing his usual medical face mask and had swept his untamable platinum colored hair to the side. He wore a lab coat over his casual clothing and was rolling around while seated on a wheeled task office chair facing backward instead it its intended purpose.

Sasuke was momentarily not amused by his senior Kendo Club advisor's remarks and could only sigh from the situation that had befallen him. It was during P.E. that he noticed his wounds from last night had worsened since he had to apply it by himself.

"Did you and Naruto perform your duties properly this morning?" asked the President of Konoha High, who was talking to them from outside the large opened window. He was seated on a bench of a shaded area against the school wall. He was decked out in a pinstriped suit, matching fedora hat, and a pair of wooden geta sandals. His jacket was hung over his shoulders and his hair was insanely long and wild even in a ponytail.

"Of course, we did," said a familiar voice coming closer from outside. Naruto was walking toward the President with a classmate close behind him.

"And the results?" asked President Jiraiya with a smile toward Naruto.

Naruto all of a sudden, acted innocently by whistling and rocking his feet forward and backward. Sasuke noticed the President's head tilting to the side due to Naruto's antics that he finally decided to speak up.

"The meeting was advantageous and we will be receiving their blessing for this coming year," answered Sasuke quickly.

They had attended a meeting early this morning to meet with their club sponsors in hopes of gaining another year of their financial patronage which only pissed Sasuke off more just thinking about how he had to wake up before dawn this morning to line up and purchase the most sought after, latest pastries as offerings. The meeting wasn't simple. They were received with a tea ceremony hosted by hired geishas and then later adjourned to a viewing room to discuss the future of Konoha High's Kendo club.

The always obnoxious Mr. Orochimaru was being difficult this morning and it still puzzles Sasuke as to how he was a famed past Kendo member and alumni. The financial groups that he governs were trying to pressure him into dropping out of school and to go into Kendo as a profession now. They also tried to blackmail him with witnesses from last night's brawl to convince him.

Luckily he was always one step ahead with explanations that by the Kendo way, he was only protecting Naruto and fought due to self defense.

"No matter the reasons, the rules were broken and you will have to be punished for your actions," said a female voice coming from another direction outside the infirmary's window. Everyone looked up to see the school principal marching toward President Jiraiya and then soon seated herself beside him. She was dressed in a dress suit where the jacket barely covered her abundant assets.

She ignored the stares and continued with her arms folded, "Sasuke Uchiha will be sentenced to three days out of school suspensions starting tomorrow."

Sasuke had a feeling that she felt uncomfortable announcing the news to all present but since all the key players were here, Sasuke knew that it was her way of lessening the arguments.

"Fine," he answered while walking to the nearest unoccupied bed, closed the privacy curtains and began lying down on the side with the least amount of binding. Then the arguments began from all around him and he quickly zoned out from the loud bickering on his behalf. He was sure that the principle would punish the Kendo Club on his behalf later on too and the punishment was probably having the entire team pull weeds somewhere.

He was already mad about all that had happened recently but what fueled his rage more was the sight of the Hyuga Princess hiding behind Naruto just now. He knew that Naruto was processing her in the club as manager and had been giving her the tour of the dojo but he didn't like the familiarity between the two. Even though he had asked Naruto to go to the rooftop to fetch her, he hated the idea of her being bashful around him from that sudden surprise visit.

He stared at the ceiling's florescent lights and wondered why he had taken in a stray cat that didn't want his ownership. He replayed the incidents from this morning again which only caused him more anguish and pain.

When he was feeling down about the recent meeting, he spotted her zigzagging in the crowded downtown busy streets. He wondered where she was going and followed suit after her. But once he was close enough to smell a whiff of her hair shampoo, she ran toward a predictable and impending doom. He dropped everything without thinking and foolishly ran after her.

Soon his chivalrous and foolish act was found to be unnecessary. He rolled his eyes from the memory of throwing his body down first so that she wouldn't feel the first fall and then tumbling along until they stopped at the curb. She was an unbearable annoyance as she clung unto him meanwhile he was in agonizing pain from the fall.

His lips twitched just slightly as it tried to scowl at the image of her striking him and saying the deathly three words that he had never heard from the female species before.

He closed his eyes and let the scene of her running off and leaving him devastated on the ground to be replayed over and over again.

Soon his teeth were grinding just seeing how she opened up to the blond idiot later. How she thanked Naruto and not him. How she easily spoke to Naruto without the muttering and mumbling. She perplexed him in ways that he couldn't understand.

He had hinted to Naruto to have her be excused from tardy with their pass but he didn't expect her to accept so eagerly to Naruto's whims. He sighed and repositioned his back for a more relaxing position.

Then he recalled how she ended their interaction with not knowing what club he was captain of. He was in shock by her question because he was plastered all over the school news and fan clubs. He couldn't believe that someone attending this school could care less of his existence when the person she had been eying had been right beside him all along. Her existence was God's way of playing the greatest prank on him.

Then he snickered remembering how he noticed the gym sweat pants tucked underneath her skirt. They were purposely worn for his amusement and it was worthy of his challenge. That was when it dawned on him that she was like a stray cat that didn't want his ownership. When he discovered the tie was her cousin's, he quickly switched it with his. It was his way of putting a collar on a stray cat. A stray may look like it needs a home but in reality it has many who feed them which allow them their freedom to choose the one supplying.

He wanted her to nibble toward his direction and nowhere else. He also realized that it was his attempt at that age old phrase: "If you care for something, set it free. If it comes back, it's yours. If it doesn't, it was never meant to be."

The room was suddenly silent and he assumed that everyone must have dispersed. That noisy bunch of crows finally gave him a bit of needed peace and he closed his eyes again.

From where he laid, his gut feeling was tingling from the thought that he was being hunted down by someone. He thought maybe it was a fan girl that had by chance discovered his hiding place and was about to make her move. He quickly sat up awaiting her next move. He knew it was a girl by the way of the soft footsteps treading closer heard from the hallway and how the person slowly slid the door open.

Before the door opened, he had found Doctor Kakashi's lab coat and already swung it over his shoulders since his shirt was dirtied from the bloody bindings.

From where he hid, he could see a small figure tip toeing toward his bed after she closed the door. She held and grabbed onto the only closed privacy curtain which was his bed. By the look of the hair style and uniform fashion he instantly knew who it was.

She stood there for awhile as if afraid that it might open and he wondered what he owed for this visit.

"Sasuke," she spoke softly through the white curtains.

She continued, "If you are awake, please hear me out. But please don't look at me or else I will run from you." She paused for a bit maybe hoping for a reply.

"I wanted to personally thank you for this morning. Twice you saved me and yet I never properly thanked you. I owe you my gratitude and if there is one thing I can do for you that is within my reach then I shall grant it." Another pause while she dug in her pockets.

"I must confess I don't know you well enough to like you but I do know that I don't like you. As for this tie, I will have to return it back to you because it doesn't belong to me. If it was a gesture with deep meaning than I should not keep it for I cannot answer your feelings." She was trying to reach in the curtains and leave the tie on the bed.

Once the tie was neatly folded on the white linen sheets, she slowly walked toward the sliding doors. Sasuke impulsively came out of hiding from within the metal clothes closet, grabbed the tie, dashed toward her, and pushed her against the sliding door. He had her trapped from within his two arms outstretched besides her and palms against the sliding door.

"Eep."

He could genuinely feel her frightened and trembling state like a rat caught by a mouse trap.

He leaned in to whisper, "You said you owe me but yet you refuse me. You are remorseful but yet you defy me. "

He slowly turned her around to face him and he again for the second time today, undid her tie. He wanted this stray to know that from all around her, she should fear him the most.

When he was done, he offered while leaning in only inches toward her face, "The next three days, you will dig up and search for all information about me. You will report back to me on the roof with your findings on the fourth day. If you could unearth one hundred facts about me then your debts will be repaid in full and I will release you from wearing my collar. Until then, you will be my obedient pet." He quickly turned around, grabbed all his belongings and jumped out the window right before she fell on her knees.

While walking toward the shoe lockers, he wondered what he could possibly do the next three days to pacify the burning intensity of anger that one stray cat had afflicted upon him.


	5. Chapter 5

Transitional States

"Should we only appreciate flowers at their peak and the moon when it is full? Nay. To yearn for the moon through the rain or fail to observe the spring's passing from being shut indoors arouses even deeper feelings. Budding boughs just before they burst into blossoms and gardens strewn with wilted flowers are by far more worthy of notice." ~_Essays in Idleness _by Kenko

The calligraphy stood before her displayed on a scroll and she was in awe of the beauty. The painted words showed the skilled craft and discipline required to handle the brush. Hinata understood that black ink stains easily on white but to have control as to where the ink lies is still impressive.

She had been lounging in her new hiding place to concentrate more on her work. She only needed one hundred details about another classmate but yet it was turning out to be a difficult task. Instead she opted for some peace and quiet to clear her mind from such a challenge.

She looked over the records laid out before her again and only shook her head in amazement as to how no one had any real data on that one person. She had deliberately stolen records from Neji's desk that pertained pertinent information of each student at school due to his position as student body president but again that record matched everything she had squeezed out of the Sasuke fan clubs, she had interviewed earlier.

She thought that Sasuke Uchiha wouldn't be impressed about such stats as his age, height, weight, gender, and location. She was thinking of digging deeper beyond the exterior. She had to impress him or else he wouldn't relent from his bullying. She knew that she could not accuse him of being a pervert, a sex offender, a person with sadistic personality disorder, or an ϋber jerk.

All her written insults about him had been crossed out in her notebook which set her back to the beginning of her search. She sighed and lazily lied down on the wooden floor. For a dojo, it was miraculously clean she noticed.

She turned her face and noticed that she could smell a hint of lemon maybe from the cleaning product used. She thought that maybe whoever cleaned it must have a lot of respect for this place.

She remembered when Neji was in the Kendo club long ago and whenever he came home from practice, he stank of sweat and his kendo uniform stank too. There was nothing here that reminded her of the kendo she once knew. The award scrolls and flags hung on the walls were dustless and the wooden name plates were all shiny and well kept. She wondered if the last manager had done it.

She closed her eyes and let the winds that were coming in from the opened doors brushed against her. She was lucky that Naruto had offered to lend her his spare keys because he was running late for soccer practice earlier. She had full reign of the place since Naruto explained that everyone else in the Kendo club were also in other different clubs which halted all Kendo practice activities until the season started up again. Again she was puzzled at how she became the new useless manager.

For the second time now, Naruto had met up with her at the roof after school. The first was yesterday when he came to make the proper introductions to everyone and finish the paperwork. Even though she only garnered strange stares from all, especially from Neji himself as he signed the final signature for her to be approved. But she figured that this might be her one chance to actually be near her object of affection instead of stalking from afar.

She slowly sat up and looked at the wooden plaques with the member's names on them. Depending on whether they were here or not, those plaques clearly proved their presence when moved from the "currently present" section to the "currently inactive."

But the name that stood out the most was none other than "Uchiha." The only wooden plaque with the imperfections clearly showings signs of use and worn from age. It clearly showed his presence here. She without notice traced his name with her finger tip and before it approached the last syllable, she stopped thinking that he might prolong his torment on her, instantly stopped.

She was wondering why she wasn't tracing Naruto's name instead. Somehow when she thinks of one the other instantly appears and vice versa with meeting them in reality. They were like salt and pepper. Two very different spices but yet they could easily be found beside each other universally everywhere.

"This place hasn't changed much," said a deep male voice from behind.

She turned around and was surprised to see her cousin standing before the scroll with the beautiful penmanship.

"I see he hasn't change, also," observed Neji.

"Who?" asked Hinata curious of the identity of the artist.

"The one and only person here that was able to score a point on me."

Hinata opened her mouth in shock and guessed astonished, "Naruto."

Neji wrinkled his eye brows and answered, "He wish."

"This place brings back memories. Only one more season and I will be gone from here. "

Hinata wasn't sure what to say. Neji had been busy with transitioning from his student body office to handing it slowly over to the newly elected governing officials. She didn't want to bore him with her problems with the Uchiha or be a bother to him at all. Her whole entire life had been trying to avoid being a nuisance to the ever so perfect Neji and the rest of her family.

Neji smiled and casually said, "His existence has probably never crossed your path so you would never know that he has walked amongst us. You better get ready; I'll tell Naruto to walk you home. It will be a good chance for you to spend some time with him. I'll see you at home." With that he walked away and she couldn't understand what he meant by that.

She stared at the painted words again and wondered who the artist was. She knew it couldn't possibly be Sasuke for he was crude and a sadist.

She looked down at her tie and wondered how it was possible that she suddenly became his target of torment. She hated how yesterday didn't turn out the way she planned. All she wanted to do was to return the tie and end her suffering and guilt. He refused and bought on a new task that now she realized was impossible to achieve.

She assumed that with his suspension, he would have plenty of time to move onto another victim. Instead, he displayed an irritation that was also sad at the same time. She remembered his stare and could feel the hurt in his eyes. At that moment, she realized that she had hurt him physically and emotionally. Up close was when she saw the fresh dressing on his body and when he changed her tie, he was gentle. She closed her eyes hoping to end all these speculations and guilt.

Suddenly from behind a pair of hands had grabbed her shoulders and she instinctively tried to move away but the hold on her was stronger than hers. The person then leaned against her and whispered, "Boo!"

She fought against the stranger by kicking and hitting him but she was surprised to see Naruto on the ground laughing from her apprehension.

"You should have seen it. You were hilarious," hollered Naruto through fits of laughter. For just one second, she thought that she couldn't possibly have been stalking him. She tried to get her composure back and soon sighed from relief. Her body was soon becoming compliant to Sasuke's attacks that she for a moment there thought that Sasuke had struck once again.

"Ready to go home?" he asked smiling.

She nodded her head and quickly went toward her belongings before Naruto thinks that she has a crush on the scribbled about person. Just as she was about to pack up the last of her possessions, he grabbed a loose sheet and began reading it.

She was so in shock that she tried to grab it back but it was too late. He leans in smiling and asked, "I never figured you for a fan girl but this is absolutely fictitious and hilarious. Are you writing a gag story about Sasuke?"

Her look was priceless and his was of pure amusement. "That's settled. We're going to have some fun today. You can't write about someone when you know nothing about them."

He grabs her shoulders and exclaims, "Our mission today is to shadow Sasuke Uchiha!"

Before she knew it, they were locking up the dojo and exiting the school grounds. Hinata once again was drawn into another one of Naruto's antics that involved a certain stoic, dark haired, kendo captain, and her personal bully. The shy wall flower couldn't believe the turn events that unfolded before her that lead her to this point. Whatever the Gods had in store for her, she knew that it wasn't going to be dull when salt and pepper were soon going to be sprinkled on.


	6. Chapter 6

Friends or Foes

"Gobble, Gobble, Gobble! Eat them turkeys!" hollered the usually obnoxious Kiba toward his opposing team sitting across from him. Sasuke closed his eyes from the rowdy scene, crowded atmosphere, and clamorous noises. The place was suffocating to him and even distracting his usual calm composure. Sasuke was dressed in a dark colored denim jeans and white sweater with grey and black swirl designs over a black and cream plaid buttoned shirt.

"Where is Naruto? He is usually present when the word 'free' was associated to it," observed Shikamaru as he waited for his ball to return.

"If I remember correctly, Neji had requested him to escort his cousin home after soccer practice," answered Chouji as he came back with several orders of nachos and Buffalo wings.

Most of the Kendo club members had met up with him earlier to collect their pay back. The Kendo members understood Sasuke's stand during the recent fight but they still felt betrayed when they were also punished. The punishment announced by the Principal on the school's club message board declared that the Kendo Club's next tournament would have to be forfeited due to their captain's recent defiant act towards the school's rules. So they agreed on a night of bowling with Sasuke footing the whole bill to make up for not being able to make it to next year's National finals again.

He was feeling guilty about everyone he had inconvenienced because of one fight. He couldn't even enjoy the fun around him as they tried to cheer him up. He had let his team down even though they were the ones trying to encourage him.

He was already in a bad mood but now hearing that new news, he was furious. He stood up to select his ball and while preparing his stance, he was imagining all the outrageously colorful pins were Naruto heads instead.

Earlier today, he was approached by Mr. Orochimaru when he was leisurely browsing through some antique stores hoping to find rare artifacts to add on to his late parent's collection. He was then invited to sit in on one of Mr. Orochimaru's business brunches with some of his associates. Sasuke hated when people pranced around him trying to claim him or use him. He was famous in the larger Kendo circles but what catapulted his name and face to fame was his family. They were all geniuses in the world of music which would explain his humble beginnings with the piano. After their tragic death, he became known worldwide as the sole survivor to the famous artists and composers. He soon carried the burden to continue their legacy but he refused to live up to the hype created by the media. With his fame and his new role in Kendo, Sasuke believed that Orochimaru would profit greatly in backing him up as a pro. Orochimaru could probably sell him to the public as an idol or use him to build some sort of empire by means of merchandise or dojo Kendo chains. Sasuke thought the business man was ruthless and was capable of anything.

He rolled his ball again and then settled for a spare as long as all the Naruto pinheads were gone from his sight. He sighed as he sat back down and waited for his turn again.

Before coming to the bowling alley, he was at an old arcade arena that had batting cages. He wasn't sure how to release some of his frustrations and built up tension caused by one particular female that could care less about his existence. He knew that the girl could probably fill a hundred idiotic and useless facts about him but she would never try to get to know him personally. She would never approach him or dare to ask him questions that would cause him to choke or blush. It was just his attempt to get her to look his way once in awhile. He also received a text earlier that made him wish that he never threw that shoe at her.

Neji had wrote to him requesting for a private duel at TenTen's private dojo and Sasuke wondered if it concerned a female with midnight, cobalt colored mane. When it came to Neji, he lived his life by the Kendo philosophies and was probably upset about the club's honor or his cousin's chastity. Whatever the outcome, he replied back courteously with a gracious acceptance to the time and date. Unsure of the invitation, he had to meet up with him regardless of the issue because that was also his Kendo way.

There was also something that was bugging him all day but he couldn't put his finger on it. It was as if he was being followed but he hadn't spotted anything unusual to claim as anything suspicious. The thought that he was being watched crossed his mind many times but when he scans his surroundings, he couldn't find the reasons to his paranoia.

The game went on until Chouji was too full to move and Shino had already won all the stuffed animals stuffed inside the claw vending machine. Everyone left to catch the last train while Sasuke stayed back to pay the remaining bill and return all the shoes. He left the bowling alley alone and by the time he looked up at the dark clouds screening the stars, he decided to take a walk toward the observation decks overlooking the whole city.

He had found a spot there long ago that had a nice view of the night lights and hidden from other visitors of the popular carved heads of historical past leaders of Konoha City. The platform had many levels and was free to the public to visit and opened 24/7.

As he walked through the busy streets toward his destination, he couldn't again stop wondering what the oblivious girl was doing about his task. He could somehow imagine her writing lewd and insulting adjectives about his character or copying boring facts listed about him in the student files that Neji had recently added more information to since his reign began. A smile crossed his face as he imagined her calling him a pervert of sorts.

The over cast of clouds above him were soon looking more threatening due to the lightening seen from far away. Just as he made it to the first level and largest deck someone from behind him called his name, "Uchiha!"

The voice was an unfamiliar male and deep. He could tell that it was threatening and maybe had been following him which would explain his suspicions. He believed that it was probably a lone wolf awaiting his chance to have a one on one fight with him. Sasuke opted to have the other guy throw the first punch so that if he was recorded by public videos, he could again claim innocence through self defense if necessary. He wasn't completely healed yet from the other fight so he had to make sure that the attacker struck an unwounded area.

Sasuke could hear the sounds of the footsteps coming closer and quickly turned around to scan his surroundings to prepare his fight. But unbeknownst to him, the masked attacker had indeed struck first by spraying pepper spray toward his direction and the gaseous chemical had indeed reached his unprotected eyes. Caught off guard, he stilled himself trying to remember his surroundings and warding off all signals his eyes were trying to warn about to his brain.

He slowly walked backward to distance himself from the attacker but soon he could hear more approaching footsteps that completely turned the fight into a complete loss. Just as he heard something clicking nearby, he realized that someone was carrying a taser and that their mission wasn't to attack but to actually locate and retrieve.

Suddenly from above he could hear a female scream at the top of her lungs, "Behind you!"

Sasuke quickly reacted by ducking down low and performed a 360 roundhouse kick that knocked down the opponent from behind and a faint clank sound that may have been the taser hitting the ground.

The fight continued as he was being instructed by the stranger and soon he was too tired from fighting, focusing his other senses and his eyes straining to see through the burning pain. Soon another stranger joined in on his fight and from the sounds he heard of moaning coming from the enemy, he could tell that it was an ally. After several more instructed attacks from the female above and the sounds of what may have been enemies silenced due to the aid of another stranger, Sasuke fell down due to exhaustion and once he hit the ground, he passed out.

Once he awoke, he found himself lying on a bench. The same exact bench that he loved to lay on at night looking at the stars and the city light scenery. The same destined bench that he was planning on reaching before being cruelly attacked. He quickly sat up to see if there were anyone around but not one soul was in sight. Fog could be seen eerily around him and he wondered if he dreamt the entire fight.

There was a damp handkerchief lying on his lap which must have fallen down from his eyes when he sat up. He undid the neatly folded white fabric and was surprised to see an embroidered little black cat sleeping on one corner with z z z z's floating about it.

The only thing that Sasuke was thinking about was, "What the Dickens did he drink yesterday?"


	7. Chapter 7

Caught Red Handed

Snuck through the front door without getting caught; check.

Tip-toed past her father's quarters without getting caught; check.

Climbed up the stairs without making any major sounds; check.

Once Hinata made it up the top landing, she sighed from relief due to the painstaking efforts she exerted to move stealthily past the current slumbering occupants of the house. Just as she thought that she had reached her half way mark, her cousin's door opened.

He didn't look like he was sleepy but he did point at his wrist which was where his watch was usually worn and he soon disappeared behind the door again. Hinata stood there in disbelief for a moment and continued her stealth progress toward her room. Just as she was about to walk past Hanabi's, again the door opened.

Again her witness didn't look sleepy but she had a look of pure amusement. Suddenly she asked a question that took Hinata off guard, "Did you kiss him?"

Hinata looked surprised and Hanabi looked disappointed. Her sister then closed the door and left Hinata stunned and feeling awkward about the situation.

Just as she reached her room, she felt a sudden rush of relief and the satisfaction that she snuck in without any serious scolding or received any penalty. She quickly changed into her night wear and quietly performed her nightly grooming rituals. Before calling it a night, she quickly wanted to jot down her newly observed revelations about her so called tormentor before hitting the pillow.

She began:

_**The Bible on Satan's Son: 99 plus 1 interesting jewels about Sasuke Uchiha **_

Sasuke Uchiha was OCD about cleanliness (which was close to Godliness).

Naruto had answered her earlier about who cleaned the dojo while he went about texting his peers on Sasuke's whereabouts. Once Naruto found Sasuke's location at a nearby batting arena, they travelled toward that direction while he told her stories about how Sasuke was first introduced to Kendo. How it came naturally to him and how he had to assimilate to the others. At the time Neji was captain and how they butted heads at the beginning. Sasuke was always late for practice and Neji was always disciplining him. Naruto talked about how they finally agreed on a match to resolve their problems. Neji won but the one point that Sasuke scored earned him the position of captain and all the responsibilities that came with it.

She then wondered if he was a neat freak at his home and just as orderly as he was with the dojo. She wondered if he pressed his clothes or dry clean. She speculated that someone this neat must have a certain disciplined way of thinking and was probably molded at a young age to eventually become that way.

He has an old soul.

The poem chosen on the hung scroll in the dojo was again his also. Naruto told her about how Sasuke excelled in memorization and recitation in literature and history. How he began incorporating those famous quotes to be inspirations to the one interpreting it. He recalled to her the memories of how many different scrolls had been displayed in there and that the majority of them had been stolen soon afterwards.

His old soul wasn't in reference about him in a philosophical sense or being wise beyond his age. It was more of an indication that he was romantic and sentimental toward his affinity for the art of words. He understood its weight and worth even when it was taken out of context. To her it was as if he had taken a single puzzle piece from a whole picture and displayed it alone for all to see how beautiful it shined by itself. Even now that she was writing this list, she was in awe of what he thought was inspirational.

His brush strokes were like art in motion.

His penmanship flowed like a calm river. The fluidity of the characters was smooth and vibrant. To Hinata, it was as if he had made the words dance on paper.

He is generous with his friends.

When Sasuke paid the bill earlier, she noticed that he never looked at the charges but instead paid it in earnest. Unbeknownst to him, Naruto and she had also accumulated some charges on the bill. Naruto asked a favor from the manager of the bowling alley if they could hang out in the office with the surveillance monitors. They also ate as they pleased while Naruto charged it toward Sasuke's tab. She noticed that Sasuke was the only one not enjoying himself. She wondered what could possibly be troubling him.

Sasuke always chooses the scenic route rather than the short-cut.

After Sasuke left the bowling alley, Naruto instantly knew where the guy was headed toward when he looked up at the cliffs with the carved monuments. Naruto dragged her through the city's alleys and back roads. He even showed her the security elevators to the private observation deck above the public ones. She had asked him if Sasuke would take the elevators but Naruto answered that Sasuke rarely took this path because it was only permissible to the public park's employees and staffs.

Sasuke takes orders well.

When Naruto noticed the first attacker approaching Sasuke from behind, he told her to stay put while he went down the elevator. By the time the second attacker arrived, she instantly without hesitation screamed her warning for Sasuke to hear. Even when his eyes were hurting, he didn't let his opponents sense his fear or express any emotion of pain. She was captivated by the power she had over his movements and every invader's location she pointed out to him, he quickly formulated a counterattack. Every time an opponent fell, her adrenaline squealed with excitement for him. She loved knowing that she was his eyes for that time period and he was her avatar.

It was as if she was playing a video game and she was using the microphone to predict her players' next move. If she screamed "3 o'clock," he instantly attacked the person to his right. When she screamed "west gates," he took out the opponent on his left. At the end, she was jumping up and down as if she won a video game and was awarded the top spot for all to see only it dawned on her soon that it was reality and Sasuke was lying on the ground unconscious.

Sasuke naps like a cat.

She had always shared the roof with him and knew that he was always lying on top of the storage room but it wasn't until Naruto explained to her how Sasuke liked to take quick naps at strange places that she understood then, he was like a cat. The bench in the park was only one of the few places he went to at night. Naruto only found out about this place long ago when he followed Sakura once, who was following Sasuke. Sakura lost him soon afterwards but Naruto found him later on watching the stars on that bench. Naruto explained that whenever Sasuke went missing, he was usually napping somewhere and if he was on the deck then this was the only possible place.

She placed the pen down and reread the list. It was short but she had to start somewhere. Sasuke Uchiha was going to regret ever giving her this challenge. She was feeling pleased with herself for accomplishing thus far. She was just about to turn off the lights when a slight beginning of 'Moonlight Sonata' played somewhere in her room.

Trying to detect the soft piano playing, she walks toward the sound. It was coming from her hamper in the closet. Through the clutter of clothes she finds a cell phone in a red case. It was a touch screen type and the screen name shown was 'Uchiha.' At a complete loss for words, she drops the device and again the piece begins playing again. Afraid that she might wake up the others, this time she quickly touches the accept call option.

She places the phone to her ears and waited for the devil to speak. Her heart was pounding and she instantly remembered when Naruto carried him toward the bench, his phone had fallen down and Naruto had asked her to pick it up. She had forgotten to replace it back in his sweater pockets but in the midst of seeing him waking up that they scrambled away in the mist.

"Hello," she answered apprehensively.

She could hear a heavy sigh from the other end of the line and wondered what she should do now.

He finally spoke, "You paid your debt and now you are free. Tomorrow after school meet me at that bench and return that phone to me."

There was then a loud 'click' sound that ended the conversation and the screen name 'Uchiha' was gone from the screen. She wondered if that was his house phone and if he was really going to let her go free like that. She lied down on her bed with his phone in her hands and went straight to sleep from exhaustion. While she was asleep, she couldn't stop listing other fascinating things about the Uchiha when it wasn't necessary anymore. She also remembered the most interesting thing that happened today was when Naruto was carrying Sasuke on his back and had said to her, "You know, you are pretty cool Hinata." A smile was spread across her face and she wondered what was more triumphant: knowing that Sasuke Uchiha was going to free her or that Naruto had recognized her existence.


	8. Chapter 8

**A Ruffled Mind Makes a Restless Pillow**

"Princess, do you mind?" asked Sasuke nonchalantly with his eyes still closed while using her trembling lap as his pillow.

Earlier he assumed that he was stood up for their meeting but instead found her waiting at a different bench while he began his trek downward from the observation deck. She had somehow mistaken his hidden 'out of the way' bench stashed behind a huge weeping willow for a bench that was in full public view near a more youthful, wispy, weeping willow. His anger ensued just from her clumsy mistake that he dragged her back to the original spot where she had left him last night. As punishment, he demanded that she offer her lap as his resting pillow while he napped. He was also still mad knowing that she was here last night with his so called best friend at a place known for being the 'Make-out' Mecca for Konoha's adolescent youths.

The small rumbling sounds coming from her stomach soon became loud growling sounds. He opened one eye to peek at her and saw that she was trying to avoid his eye contact and blushing at an incredibly fast rate. A smile slowly crept across his face at the sight of her being so damn cute.

He sat up suddenly hoping she understood that he was going to penalize her again but this time for disturbing his beauty rest.

"Dinner's on you. Let's go!" he commanded. She looked unwilling but she quickly somehow came to the same understanding began to comply with his wishes and followed him slowly behind. She was still dressed in her school uniform and carrying her book bag while he was dressed in a grey fitted sweater, faded jeans, a long navy/black striped scarf and a navy corduroy blazer.

It was a beautiful fall day and the leaves were falling gracefully around them as they walked through the elevated observational decks above the city. Seeing that she was being obedient, he started whistling an old cheerful piano piece usually played as a duet. The pleasant winds rustling around him were like music to his ears. He enjoyed knowing that close behind him were soft footsteps trying to keep up with his pace.

The quiet walk soon ends when they reach the last step down the public stairs that was the barrier between the nature sounds and the city noises. They soon entered the traffic of busy people returning home from work and the pedestrian filled streets. Several times he had to guide her through the traffic because she was too busy following him to take heed of her surroundings.

"Stop dawdling and focus. Here hold onto the end of my scarf and if I feel any slight tug coming from you, I will personally make you regret ever meeting me," he threatened and seeing the opposite reaction coming from her, he regretted what he had said. She looked too frightened to reach out for the scarf piece or too self conscious to understand his point of view. Without thinking he grabbed her hand and began leading her through the crowd.

He decided that they were going to dine at his favorite restaurant. When they approached the sky scarper hotel, he looked over at her and snickered from the look in her eyes. She was terrified and shaking but he was unrelenting. He dragged her in and instructed, "Act casual or else."

He rented his usual suite under his usual alias, "Mr. Cat, Cheshire." They rode the elevators to a dizzying height and he finally let go of her hand when they reached the room. He opened the door and pushed her in. He was just about to turn on the lights when she suddenly exclaims, "How beautiful!"

He slowly closes the door and walks toward the bed while she was at the large double glass sliding doors toward the balcony. He was too tired to hear what else she was exclaiming and threw himself on the bed and commanded, "Order whatever you want from the menu and tell them to prepare my usual for me. Wake me up when the food gets here. Don't worry everything goes on my tab." Without any further delay, he went straight to sleep.

By the time he awoke, he felt like he had snoozed a whole night when in actuality was only half an hour. He was awoken by a girl with long blue hair sitting on his bed and talking to herself. She had somehow made herself comfortable by taking off her socks and sitting Indian style. She had also removed her blazer and skirt. All that was left on her was her school shirt and gym sweat pants. She was playing with her food. She had a green olive popped on one index finger and a black olive stuck on the other index finger. The two indexes were speaking to each other.

The green stood up to the black one and said, "You are not the boss of me."

The black looked as if it was hovering threateningly over the green and replied, "I am the Son of Satan and I will do as I please. Bwah, bwah, ha ha ha. "

The green retaliated back, "Then I will just have to bite off your head." With that, Hinata quickly ate the black olive off her finger.

Sasuke was amused by the little play and said while lying on his sides, "Watch whose head you are biting off now, Hyuga."

Hinata slowly turned around to look at him and she looked completely caught off guard. Sasuke reached over toward her salad and grabbed a green olive and ate it. "Now we're even."

"That was mine," she replied indignantly and surprised from his counter attack. She quickly removed herself and the dish off the bed. She then made herself comfortable on one of the seats at the table filled with food and explained, "I tried waking you up but you continued to snore like a pig."

He snickered at her and got up to join her. He just couldn't believe that someone this small could order this much food. His usual was only hot tea and a dish of gourmet rice balls. The rest had to belong to her.

"You don't eat out much do you?" he asked her suddenly while he set up his drink.

"Well, to be honest everything looked so inviting in the room service menu." She looked so adorable answering him so honestly that he almost choked on his first sip of tea.

She talked excitedly about all her pastries and entrée choices. Then she moved her conversation to the glass sliding doors. Outside the doors and beyond the balcony was the city, the monument heads, and further beyond it was the tallest mountain in Japan. It lied majestically against the backdrop of colored clouds and a setting sun.

He took a bite from his rice ball and tasted the familiar salty and sour flavor of the rice and then the pickled red plum.

This was once his brother's studio and he was now allowed to visit it as he pleased for the owner of the establishment was his brother's best friend. The suite was always readily available and always kept under Itachi's favorite storybook character name.

She still looked a bit apprehensive toward him so he finally decided to change the subject, "Have you ever heard of the story about the 'White haired maiden'?"

She tilts her to the side and replies back, "You mean 'The Romance of the White Haired Demoness'?"

"It's an adaption of that story but more of a Japanese twist to it."

"Then please enlighten me," she said while spooning spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

He smiled and realized that Hinata Hyuga had a strong inclination towards sweets; something that he wasn't too keen about as a desired taste. He continued, "Well you know about the warring clans from back in the days like the Iga's and the Koga's. I'll use those two as examples to begin for the sake of the story. Well the clan's heirs had met once during a mission that both were assigned to and of course they fall in love. It took several more chance meetings and intense squabbling for the two to eventually become attracted to one another. Then one day they wrote their love on that supposed mountain over there." Sasuke points at the window and Hinata's eyes followed.

"They inscribed upon the earthen surface their pledge of eternal love to one another when they both met up clandestinely. As you can tell, they were star crossed lovers and doomed from the very beginning."

"The guy returned to his clan and was about to announce to them his engagement to the girl but was delayed by the fact that his village had just been attacked by the girl's side and that his father was severely wounded from the invasion. His father upon his deathbed declared his son ruler and his first job as ruler was to avenge his father's death."

Hinata by now had finished the ice cream dish and continued unto a beautifully designed cake fashioned on a delicate china ware. He continued, "Of course on her side, the ruler and leaders returned home wounded and declared her also as the next ruler and to avenge their losses."

He took a quick look at the clock and realized that time was running short for both of them. "We better get you home soon or else. Pack up, Hyuga."

He snickered as he watched her carefully wrap up some cinnamon rolls into her book bag and put on the rest of her clothes that she had taken off earlier. By the time they walked out the room, she asked, "And?"

As they strolled down the hallway he continued, "Well, the guy eventually had to persevere and honorably take over as ruler. He abided the laws of being the ruler which was also to marry the one chosen for him by the other head leaders of the village. He figured that she wasn't involved with the fight but he had to choose responsibility over his own happiness. He accepted the matchmaker's offer and date while inside he was dying for betraying his true love."

"Are you serious?" she asked offended by the events of the story so far.

"Just imagine the girl while she heard the news of the upcoming nuptials. She was furious. As the new leader she had an obligation to perfect all the fighting techniques handed down from one ruler to the next. So she diligently went about mastering all of them which even included the forbidden ones."

"That's so sad," she murmured softly all crestfallen. Sasuke was amused at her eagerness to follow him while he told the story. She looked more at ease with him but something was still troubling him. He just couldn't figure it out yet.

They walked in silence from the hotel and finally made it to the train station and he was just about to step onto the train compartment with her when an arm suddenly reached around her shoulders which were right in front of his sight. He grabbed the arm and quickly recognizes the owner of the limb.

"Hinata, I missed you so much since last night. Imagine my surprise when I saw you on the platform. Are you going home with Sasuke?" he asked in his usual cheeky and excited manner.

Sasuke didn't know what ate at his insides but he didn't want to see those two together in front of him so he eventually let go of Naruto's arm and replied, "No, you take her home." He quickly shoved the two in and let the doors close. She was in her lovers arms now so he assumed that he was only going to be a third wheel. He quickly left the station and while walking home, he finally realized that he had forgotten to retrieve his phone and return her handkerchief.


	9. Chapter 9

Honor between Men and Dogs

"These cinnamon rolls are simply divine," she said to herself smiling. She was strolling down the hallway during lunch and had just left the teacher/faculty longue after using their microwave. She blew softly on her newly heated roll as she attempted to climb the stairs and return to her classroom.

Upon reaching the second floor, she heard a vague voice speaking about a familiar name. Hinata was never one for gossip but this conversation was sounding too interesting to resist. She closed in a bit more but made sure that she was out of sight from the heated discussion. They were seated on the third floor's midway landing and Hinata was standing halfway between the second floor stairs.

"I'm telling you, my sources are legit and they claim that Sasuke had made attempts to transfer into that school yesterday," admitted Sai. "Now the problem is what do we do about it?"

"Shouldn't we talk to him first?" asked Chouji.

"But this whole thing sounds strange. First he gets attacked by them, suspended because of them, and now he's gonna go enroll at that school. It just doesn't add up," voiced Shikamaru.

"Let's not be haste. For now we should wait until Naruto gets here and see what he knows," offered Shino.

They were talking about Sasuke but she was confused because she had spent the latter half of yesterday with him. The only explanation would be Sasuke had secretly gone there during the time that she was at school. She was just about to take another step to sneak a peek when from behind her a pair of hands had grabbed her waist while she was hunched over the railing.

The unknown assailant then leans in on her and asked, "What cha doo-ing??"

Hinata turned around immediately to face a smiling Naruto and Kiba staring back at her curiously. She nervously tried to come up with an excuse but words were not forming in her brain. It was too busy being in shock from her exposed misconduct.

Suddenly from above, Chouji called out to them, "Naruto, just the man we were looking for."

Naruto quickly dragged her along as he went up the stairs to meet the rest of the guys on the landing.

"What's up?" yelled Naruto as he ascended the stairs with Hinata in his arms and Kiba close behind.

"We have business with you so can you release the girl?" stated Sai.

As Hinata came closer, she saw that a small group of guys were gathered there and they were mostly from her grade. Some were seated against the wall while the others stood nearby.

"If it has to do with Kendo then by all means, she gets to stay. She is our manager after all," reasoned Naruto.

"What's up with you guys? Why are ya'll serious all of a sudden" asked Kiba joining in.

Chouji spoke first, "It's about our captain."

"There's a rumor going around school that Sasuke had shown interest in transferring to another school," clarified Shikamaru.

"Well he does have a lot of spare time on his hands now that he is 'missing in action,'" replied Naruto as he used his hands to express the quotation marks and emphasis on the phrase MIA.

"Look the three day suspension ends today and he'll be back next Monday. The question is: Do we have reasons to confront him now or have faith in him as our captain?" proposed Shino to the group.

The group was silent and finally Hinata spoke up, "He wouldn't do that because………."

She was speechless at this point because she really didn't have a point. What could she say that she had dinner with him and she could vouch for his rude and deviant character? She wondered if she knew what she was getting at but hearing what they were saying was not conclusive to what she had seen of him so far. Besides all the cruel remarks and perverted assaults, was a person of….what she wondered. She was in deep thought and when she finally awoke from it, she realized that everyone had zoomed in a bit closer toward her with strange stares.

Feeling overly self conscious and without thinking, she acted on her impulses by simply running away. She ran down the hall still holding onto her warm roll with both hands while in her mind replaying the recent conversation.

She couldn't understand how she could speak up for a person who had been bullying her all along. Even if his brush strokes expressed a different personality and he was mesmerizing as a story teller, he was still someone not worth her regards.

She finally made it to the one place that she could call her sanctuary and even there, his presence still lingered there. She ran toward her usual railing 'look out' spot and rested from the running. When she finally calmed down, she continued eating her roll while she looked at the students eating lunch on the fields. The same roll that she had stolen in front of him as they left the hotel. The same hotel that she thought he was going to take her virginity. The exact room where she had witnessed a peacefully sleeping and vulnerable Sasuke and how he shared with her a view of the city from a different advantage point.

She sighed and realized that Sasuke Uchiha as an existence in her life had left scars on her.

Eventually the bell rang and she returned to class without making any contact with any of the other Kendo members. She just wanted to survive the rest of the day without thinking any further about Sasuke's betrayal to his team or any thoughts about upgrading her opinions about him as a person.

Soon the last bell rang and she stayed back in class because it was her turn to fulfill the classroom duties. She cleaned the chalk boards, wiped the tables, and went outside to clap the erasers. She moved all the desks, swept the floor, and then mopped. After she threw out all the thrash, she returned to the classroom to return the all desks to its original places. It wasn't until she got out the homeroom's duties journal that she wondered who her missing partner for today's assignment was. Upon reaching today's date, there in bold ink was the omnipresent 'T' design with her name on one side and 'Uchiha, Sasuke' written on the other side of the 'T' indicating the pair in charge of cleaning duty that day. She stared at both names and the ever so suggestive image of two names under an umbrella. The most talked about myth when she was in elementary school of the two written names under the umbrella symbolizing and suggesting to all that they were a couple.

She cringed at the sight of the "T" indicating today's cleaning duties and immediately crossed out his name. She wrote "MIA" about her partner in today's summery of written record. By the time she was done, she wondered if their names had crossed paths before. Sure enough since Spring, out of the twenty one times that she had to stay after school and clean up, he was partnered with her for six of them. She wondered why she had never noticed that before. Did she completely ignore his existence that easily and obliviously?

She turned in the report to her teacher and met up with Neji and Hanabi in the Student council office. Hanabi was from the Middle School section and as a genius was also taking courses in the High School department as an advanced extracurricular. So after school, they usually met up there in his office.

When she arrived near his door, she noticed that they were also exiting and locking up. As they were descending the stairs, Neji spoke up first, "Hinata, will we be having an uninvited guest again tonight?"

Hinata looked surprised by the question and had completely forgotten that Naruto had brought her home last night. Upon reaching her home last night, he also made his presence known to her family. He had somehow impolitely imposed on Neji's sacred "Hot Pot" night. Neji was a bit OCD about his rituals with the Hot Pot order of dipping sequence and being careful never cross contaminating or cross connecting any germs, pathogens, or the mixing of different food types. Neji has always prided himself as the Master of Ceremonies orchestrating the flow of the meal.

Instead last night, Naruto intruded on their family meal when her father was out of town and pretty much stole the spot light from Neji. Naruto practically poured all the meats, seafood, and fresh produce in the delicately cooked soup that Neji had slaved over hours before the meal. Hanabi enjoyed watching the scenario before her and had invited Naruto for many more family dinners at her home. Neji left dinner early and Hinata was still full from her meal at the hotel that she excused herself also. What happened next was that Naruto fell asleep in her living room and Neji made sure that she was the one to kick Naruto out of the house early in the morning and to clean up all the mess.

"I doubt," she answered back but was cut short by Neji.

"Good because tonight, you will be packing your clothes for a short journey."

Hinata didn't understand what he was talking about. Were they having a family weekend break?

When they reached the shoe lockers, Neji explained, "My friends have invited me for a Kendo retreat in the country. They own a large facility that caters to the Kendo arts and profession. There, you will see firsthand how a manager fairs in this field. They are well known masters in the art and ranked highly by the federation. Since I can't make it, I have already sent word of your presence as my substitute and your needed training in the study of the ancient art."

Hinata was flabbergasted by the whole idea of sending her away to a martial art retreat in the countryside. The only word that she could possibly muster up was, "Why?"

As they walked down the entrance path toward the gate, Neji answered sternly, "Because too much of a good thing usually results in negative outcomes. I will not allow you to freely gallivant about town with Naruto in such a manner. Use this opportunity wisely and try to understand this from where I am coming from."

Hinata obediently nodded her head for she had only respect for her cousin while Hanabi was beaming from ear to ear. They finally reached their car and for the rest of the trip home, everyone was silent.

Once in the recesses of her room, Hinata threw herself on her bed from the exhaustion of cleaning the classroom. Again a soft piano piece was playing somewhere and she instantly recognizes it as Beethoven's Fϋr Elise. She soon realizes that this was a déjà vu moment and she began searching for the music. There under her bed was that same phone she had retrieved for Sasuke. She quickly looked at the screen and saw that it was an unknown caller.

She presses the accept call thinking that it might be Sasuke and that maybe she should warn him about the team's suspicions while dumping off some of her stress too. But before she could answer, an unfamiliar male voice was heard from the other end.

"Sasuke. Sasuke," he sang mockingly. "How dare you enter my territory and threaten my subordinates from right under my nose? Don't think that I don't know about your guise to infiltrate my school. I don't know what happened between my boys and you but as their leader I will take you on your match. And as you wish if I win, you will become one of my subordinates and if you win, I will personally guarantee you that my boys will never enter Konoha again. But just to be safe and that you won't pull a fast one on me, I will send you a picture that will convince you otherwise. Sweet Dreams, Lover boy."

The call ends with a dial tone and she hangs up the call. Hinata was trying to add one and one together but she was soon interrupted by another piano piece playing alerting her of an incoming message. She curiously opened the message and there was a sent picture of Sasuke holding her hand while they were walking through the busy streets of the city. At the bottom of the picture was the subject which clearly stated, "I have my eyes on you."

The message was sent to Sasuke Uchiha and sent from Suigetsu Hōzuki.

She wondered who this rude person was but again she was interrupted by a 'Moonlight Sonata' playing and she quickly received this call.

Out of frustration from today's events, she hollered at the communication device, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Of course, Sasuke answers back calmly, "The owner of the phone which you are in possession of at the moment and I am calling to have you return it immediately. Oh and please tell me that you didn't answer any of my calls."

Hinata's jaw dropped from the realization that she was caught and replied earnestly, "Can we meet down my street at my neighborhood playground. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Is it the one with the weird elephant dome jungle gym?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll be waiting for you." He ends the call and Hinata wasn't sure how to go about explaining how she pondered into this mess. No matter which way she looked at it, she was involved. She felt like she was in one of those spy thriller types of flicks and she was the innocent bystander that was used as comedic relief. As she changed her clothes, she wondered what Sasuke would look like in a 007 tux.


	10. Chapter 10

Some Connections are Harder to Break

"Is it good?" he asked suddenly while she picked at his offering. She looks up from the pastries and replies eagerly by nodding a couple times while smiling with crumbs still lingering on her lips. He accepted that answer quite smugly and continued folding his arms while leaning back on his side of the bench.

They had crossed paths earlier when he was trying to avoid the small onslaught of rain moving along the vicinity and she was running to meet him in the open playground nearby. She was dressed in an over-sized grey hooded sweatshirt and matching sweatpants. It was painful to watch her run in the rain but it was more irritating knowing that she didn't use the hood as a rain shield. Out of frustration, he pulled her in the closest shelter he could arrange for them.

At first she resisted but somehow recognizing him, she soon complied and eventually started staring at him strangely. Several times, she even dared to ask if he was a spy or under disguise but he ignored her questions as irrelevant nonsense. They watched the rain together as they sat on the bench in silence.

Before when he was scoping the area, he remembered the look of the old run down food stand which was now turned into a public refreshment area lined up with an assortment of vending machines. It had an old awning sheltering the quickie service area and an old bench that creaks as they shift their seating position.

That morning he went out of his way to purchase the pastries from the same one he had visited before for the Orochimaru group meeting. He wasn't going to tell her about the annoying sales lady that he had to put up with again for Hinata's sake but seeing her enjoying his hard earned goodies only compensated for his recent aggravations.

Her hair was still wet but luckily his white formal cashmere scarf was available as a towel absorbing the dampness. She looked completely content eating the pastries that he bought as offerings for his absence during today's cleanup duties. He was sure that it never dawned on her that he was her assigned partner and that he switched with Naruto long ago when this month's chart assignment was written out. He also hoped that the class representative would also be attentive enough as to assign a new one in his stead for today.

He sat there staring at her eating when suddenly her head pops up and asked, "And." She had this complete look of anticipation that he couldn't figure at first but the moment of déjà vu swept over him suddenly, he remembered that she had done something before similar to this and contrasted both incidents was inquiring about his story.

He sighed while looking at the overcast sky and halted rain showers. He slowly leans his head on the side of the building where the bench was situated along. He summarized for her, "Our two star crossed lovers now living in their respective villages are both beginning their own paths of becoming the rulers of their clans. While one has to make arrangements toward building a family of his own, the other suffers alone in studying the forbidden arts handed down from one ruler to the next. Seasons pass and time had changed both hearts eventually. Soon he hears sightings about a ghost that terrorizes his village and the left messages written at each location. He travels to all the places to investigate but he couldn't make sense the bloody graffiti on all the walls."

At this point she had finished all the pastries with the creamy centers and flaky outer shells that he had picked out for her. She was wiping her mouth with the paper napkins that were stuffed in the 'to go' box. Luckily earlier, he had also purchased two hot cans of coffee from the vending machine and she was only now starting at puncturing the lid. She gulped a large serving of the English toffee flavor roast and he couldn't help staring at her being so at ease towards him now.

He continued after he had a taste of his dark roast, "His wedding date soon approaches and wedding preparations were soon in order. Wedding invitations were sent everywhere and far and wide of the upcoming nuptials while the haunting of a white haired maiden dressed in white continues to spread across the countryside. The ones that have survived her visits explain that her steps are light as feathers, her laugh echoes with madness and her face is shielded by her long hair."

She suddenly interrupts him, "Aren't you going to explain about why she became so?"

"Patience is a virtue," he mocks her while she looked completely offended. "On the night of his wedding she appeared before all the guests as she gracefully strolls in through the front door while the couple were about to complete their marriage ritual. Upon the last sip of wine that the couple were about to share from the same saucer, the ghost stood at the entryway and halted the festive ceremony. The crowds hushed to witness the scene before them and stood still for fear of the ghost."

He had her completely at his will as he noticed her scooting closer toward his side of the bench and wished that this story was longer so that he could keep that focused look in her eyes.

"The groom soon drops his saucer and quickly unsheathes the closest sword at his reach. He aims the pointed weapon at the ghost and asked her about her rude intrusion on his special day. She doesn't answer him but instead walks closer toward him and lifts a section of her hair that was covering her face. For one moment there, he wavers in his pride as the ruler and the feelings he has for the one he soon recognizes. Her face was still as beautiful as when he last left her at the mountains."

"The end," she interrupts him again and has this look like she didn't want him to continue. This time, her arms were folded and she explains, "If this ends tragically like the original then lets end it here where I believe that they will reunite and live happily ever after."

"Well, a fight scene ensues but it's not between our two beloved characters," he proposed just to lure her in.

She nods her head bravely and the story continues, "Sensing the groom's hesitation and the instant familiarity between the ghost and her husband to be, the bride took it upon herself to secure the safety of the village that will someday be hers'. Her fighting skill is in the art of throwing daggers which she instantly pulls a hair pin from her ornate headdress and decisively assaults the uninvited guest. The white hair maiden dodges the throw and soon flies in to fight her in close range combat. But what the bride doesn't know is that the white intruder's skills rely on long distance combat and uses the fabric manipulation technique to fight. So they fight hand to hand combat in equal levels but the white haired maiden had actually been luring the bride away from the compound by jumping on the roof and then running away. The bride follows suit even when the groom had tried to stop the fight many times by imploring to both. As the two reached a clearing in the woods, the white haired maiden declares the bride's imminent death. The bride was feeling secure that this was the woods where she grew up so this was to her advantage being familiar with the playing field. The bride threw more accessories that were up her sleeves while the white haired maiden quickly uses the surrounding trees as cover. The white maiden soon finds an opening and attacks with her fabric," Sasuke stops because the strange ring was heard from his jacket's inner pockets.

He removes the offensive sounding device and quickly hits the busy signal option. He turns over toward her and asks, "Do you have my phone?"

She quickly retrieves a more advanced device from her sweater pockets and gives it to him. He then does some tinkering between the two devices and then he hands her the smaller one.

"This used to be my brother. Its old and simple but just call 'Mad Hatter' and that should link you to me." He stands up suddenly to express his departure but he was soon halted by her reaction.

She stands up and leans in to ask, "If I am unexplainably calling you because I was stranded on an isolated island, will that be enough reason to call you?"

Sasuke's lips twitched just slightly from her absurd question. He quickly turned away and started walking. He didn't want her to see him in this state so he quickly dialed 'Uchiha' on his phone and while on speaker he said to her, "Idiot, it doesn't hurt to call someone." He ends the call and continues walking.

There at the corner of the neighborhood was the limo that had been waiting for him this whole time. He gets ushered in by a chauffeur and the limo then departs. He starts dusting the dirty areas on his tux and he realizes that his scarf was still in possession by the girl. He chuckles at the thought of his missing accessory and wonders if her folded handkerchief will suffice as part of his formal attire.

He looked at his watch and wondered if he should play hooky to tonight's big gala for the Orochimaru's group. Orochimaru had asked a favor of him to escort a client's daughter that Sasuke had in the past escorted to other parties before. She was annoying like any other girl he knew and had something else that completely aggravated him; she was either bipolar or definitely suffered from multiple personality disorders. She always used Orochimaru as a means to him.

Sasuke was only interested in attending because he wanted to see if Orochimaru was involved with the recent ambushes or was in any way connected with Suigetsu's gang. He had purposely entered Suigetsu's school the other day to confront him. He remembered long ago how the president of that school loved Kendo and was a loud avid spectator. Sasuke used the excuse that he was transferring to enter their school grounds by means of their president instantly recognizing him. Once all the introductions and tour was over Sasuke requested a quick refresher on Kendo with their Kendo club. Sure enough, he had everyone shaking in their knees upon his arrival to their dojo. Since their captain was absent, Sasuke could only resort to a verbal threat that hopefully the members would kindly relay back to their beloved captain.

The limo soon arrives at the party's location and Sasuke was just about to get up when a simple piano piece was heard. He instantly recognizes the caller and picks up, "Salutations, long time no see."

"You didn't answer my calls or return any of them. I was wondering if you were going to be absent this year. Even your RSVP wasn't received yet? So, are you going to attend Gaara's retreat?" ask Kankuro.

"Count me in. I guess I'll be rooming with Neji again."

"That's what we have you down you for. I guess we will be seeing you tomorrow morning. Bye."

The call ends and Sasuke didn't feel up to playing social with a high society brat eventually decided to go home and get ready for tomorrow's travels. He was seriously hoping that he wouldn't have to face Neji until their match but fate had definitely got him to meet his senior sooner than expected.


	11. Chapter 11

Contradictions of the Heart

"Umm, Temari," asked Hinata hesitantly, "Why are there so many people traveling by foot?"

She was curious of the amount of boys walking along the same path as they were traveling on also. Earlier Temari had greeted her at the train station when she arrived at her final stop and Temari ushered her into the van filled with luggage. Hinata felt like a lost puppy in the crowded countryside train station after traveling for so long and focusing on the train routes that Neji had laid out for her. Temari came out of nowhere and dragged her to the parking lot where people her age were dumping their luggage into. She couldn't understand if it was the culture shock or the unfamiliar place that she felt thankful for Temari's kindness.

The older blonde smiled while driving the van answered, "Oh, they are like you. Most of the attendees have been here for almost a week now and because you are in High School, their late arrival means their spiritual training begins now. My brother started this program long ago for pros in the field, who needed to reevaluate why they entered this career or to maybe polish some skills that may have become dulled. It's a five day program and day one for all means earning your spot up there where we call the 'barracks.''' Temari points up toward the mountain they were circling on.

She continues, "It's kinda like a spiritual pilgrimage for them on their first day. Since you guys have school, you only have to attend the last two days. They will try to make their hike up this mountain and when they reach there, we will have their meals and baths ready. Later on tonight, will be training and for all to meet face to face. Tomorrow morning will be a long unofficial tournament for all who wants to participate and at night we attend a temple festival. Sounds like fun, huh?"

Hinata was already tired from the trip and lack of sleep to see any reason of enjoying this so called program of Kendo rejuvenation. She wished for this hell to be over with soon and couldn't believe that Neji could come up with such a dastardly punishment to make up for the hot pot incident.

She repositioned her seating for a more relaxed one and closed her eyes. She reached in her coat pocket and let the security of knowing that she had a connection to another soul outside this foreign place. Her family had offered her a cell phone before but she refused repeatedly because her only contacts would be those three: her family. Due to Neji's position in school, she could call anybody but it wouldn't be the same. She had some phone numbers stashed in her personal phone book but they were all school related and by no means where she could call them as friends. So she never had the reason to own one before until now.

Yesterday evening, Sasuke Uchiha, her so-called bully had somehow become her so-called friend. It was the first time anyone had given her a phone number or a phone for that matter and insisted on her to call them. She was flabbergasted by the sudden invite that she blurted out an analogous predicament that she was going to be in soon. Well, she wasn't stranded on an island but at this moment it did feel far away from home. Just knowing that she could escape through a phone connection that wasn't tapped directly to a family member made her feel at ease even if it was to a sadistic prick with perverted underskirt issues.

The trip up the mountain was beautiful but she was too tired to enjoy the pleasant autumn scenery and tried to relax as much as possible while she sat in the front passenger seat. She was dressed for the cold weather with jeans, grey turtleneck sweater and a military style black coat.

They arrived at a large Western style building and they parked around the back. They were greeted by more people who helped with the luggages and Temari went about sorting and delivering. Temari then showed her the kitchen and then her room.

"Here is your room. You got lucky because Neji's roommate is a no-show so you'll be by yourself. Don't worry your quarter is down the hall to ours because Gaara is a good friend of Neji's while everyone else has to sleep like sardines in the east hall where they call 'the barracks.' Here are your keys. After you get settled, we can begin cooking in the kitchen. Don't worry the food had already been prepped by everyone here. We got the easy job. I'll see ya later."

With that she was gone and out of sight. Hinata unlocked her door and was surprised that the room was designed in a Japanese theme with tatami mats on the floor with papered sliding doors and windows. The inner suite had a small dining table and seating for two. She slid open a door which led to another room. She opened a closet and found a futon. Instantly wanting some type of instant gratification, pulled the folded bedding out and began spreading it on the floor.

She threw herself on the mat and relieved some of her stress. She felt something on her stomach and remembered the phone. She pulled it out and wondered if this was a good time to call. Then she wondered what she should say to someone who rudely walked away from her yesterday when all she wanted to know if she could call due to desperate circumstances.

She didn't know why but she had also packed his white scarf on this trip. Maybe inside she was dying for that connection of comfort outside her reach. She decided to call later tonight and placed the phone in her suitcase.

After getting lost for twenty minutes, she finally arrived at the kitchen where Temari and others where already midway through cooking. Hinata helped with the refreshments by preparing the small hot kettles at each table. By the time she was done Temari had asked her to eat with her on the roof when the crowds were slowly entering the large dining hall. Sure enough on time the crowds gathered in the large dining area with wall to wall glass windows for their viewing pleasure of the scenic mountain side.

Hinata quickly took that chance of incoming commotion to run away. She grabbed a dish and cup of tea with her. Followed Temari while giggling, they ascended the stairs toward the roof.

Temari was only a couple of years older than her but she felt that her maturity level surpasses that of hers.

"Why did we skip out on lunch down there? Don't they need our help?" asked Hinata while looking for a place to sit.

"A room full of testosterone and food could only equal to mass chaos. Trust me I am the sister to the two ringleaders downstairs. They will be fine without me." She was sitting against the railing and waited for Hinata to settle down beside her before speaking again. "So you're the new manager for Konoha's Kendo club? How do you like it so far?"

Hinata looked up a bit surprised because she hadn't done anything to be considered as manager-esque per say. What could she say that she has a small crush on the vice-captain and has been fairly intimate with the captain who may explain how she got the position? How could she explain that she had some difficulties with him at first but now he is ever so evident in her life? How could she explain that they have become such close friends within such a short period and has exchanged phones and neckties?

"You look uneasy about answering. Look, if you need me to come there one day to teach them how to treat a lady by all means please do call me. All of them should know who I am; I am Gaara and Kankuro's sister after all. Ok?" Temari reassured with a big grin.

"My brothers played against most of you guys back when they were in middle school. That's how Neji became close friends with my brothers. They kept in contact even when my brothers became pros. Back then Gaara always considered Neji as his rival. Gaara is still mad at Neji for quitting Kendo but he forgave him once Neji showed up last year with a protégé with promising skills. Gaara approved of this person but too bad he's not here this year. I think you would find him very interesting but then again you probably have to face him every day."

Hinata could only nod her head meanwhile she was wondering who this person was that Neji brought here last year. She was only half listening to Temari because her brain was still debating on whether to place Sasuke Uchiha in the friend zone, enemy zone, or in an association with options of active/inactive kinks. In other words, she has started to notice him. Even a tux could sway any negative feelings she had toward him. Even in a vulnerable sleeping state she couldn't leave him be but was drawn to his peaceful childlike innocence. Arghhh. She wished her curry dish was spicy so that she would have an excuse to run away even in a conversation that only made her think of him.

Suddenly Temari's phone rang but she didn't flinch or react to the noise instead ignored it and turned away looking toward all the swaying white sheets and laundry hung nearby. Temari turned toward Hinata and asked absently, "Do you have someone you like?"

Hinata again only nodded her head sheepishly and wasn't sure what Temari was getting at.

"I see. So is it going well?" Temari asked with interest.

"Well," Hinata paused to think. Then she answered, "It's only a crush but we have gotten closer lately. Much closer than before even though I am spending more time with his best friend instead." She was looking pensive while answering candidly.

Temari laughed from the tidbit of juicy information. "Well don't worry I am sure that there's a reason for everything that happens, right?"

Hinata smiled from Temari's reaction and took it as an "ok" of what was happening in her life as if what she had said wasn't strange or weird. As she continued to eat her meal, she wondered if Naruto would ever be able to draw forth these strange feelings she has toward his friend. Could he possibly kiss her so tenderly that it would make her instantly recall the same emotions from that time on the roof? Could she ever sit in front of Naruto and eat as she pleases? Would Naruto ever indulge her with a story or a fable? Emotionally wrecked Hinata suddenly had tears slowly trickling down her cheeks. She suddenly realized that these new feelings were only betraying her first innocent love and everything that she had kept special about it.

"Alrighty then, let's call it a meal and end our lunch here because you see all that hung laundry over there. That's our next assignment. Don't worry, many other helping hands will join us later." The two started to clean up their mess and Temari had this look like Hinata needed a change of scenery and some alone time.

They separated and began working on each ends of the clothes lines. Each with a basket and both were folding away. It wasn't until they were halfway done that the others arrived to help. Hinata took that opportunity to work harder and not think about what was really bothering her. When the chore was done and Temari sorted through them, they all suggested walking through the woods for a test of courage that was done a couple of nights ago. Everyone on the roof was either managers or assistants to their Kendo associations and all besides Hinata have become close friends.

Hinata wasn't up for anything that entailed any type of entertainment and pretty much excused herself after all the laundry and sheets were delivered to all the rooms. She slowly walked back to the building where her room was located and fished out her keys. When she entered the dark room, she was too tired from the trip and today's work that she went straight to the futon without even turning on the lights. She threw her shoe and coat somewhere and indulged in the warmth of the blankets. She wondered if she should call him now that she returned to the room but was too lazy to travel toward her suitcase so instead she whispered his name very gently, "Sasuke Uchiha," and sighed.

Before she knew it, she was dreaming about singing pastries dancing to Broadway tunes with cinnamon powder swirling about them and making everything shinny and glittery. The warmth and coziness of the futon completely erased all her worries and soothed all ailments her heart was suffering. She hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.


	12. Chapter 12

At the End of His Vision: What Really Happened Yesterday

Sasuke couldn't believe his luck. He was stuck in a train compartment with none other than the captain of the so called kendo club, who attacked him twice recently. The guy nonchalantly approached Sasuke while he was minding his own business in the corner of the compartment listening to one of Haydn's more playful movements.

Sasuke could only assume that they were both traveling toward the same destination: Gaara's retreat. Gaara was always looking for new talents to test his skills against but Sasuke felt at this moment that Gaara had definitely hit a new low. He couldn't help thinking about how Suigetsu got invited to this place.

"Sasuke, are you afraid that I might overshadow your presence there?" asked Suigetsu smugly with his legs crossed and leaning against Sasuke in an annoying manner.

"I am sure Gaara only felt obligated to invite you due to your position as captain," answered Sasuke as he turned away to increase the volume on his ear plugs through the cellular device with mp3 options.

Avoiding his neighbor was his intention but what happened next only made the nerves on his forehead swell up. His music paused due to an incoming call and Sasuke quickly picked up.

"What now?" asked Sasuke through gritted teeth because of the person sitting beside him.

"Whoa Sasuke, I think someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," said a cheeky voice on the receiver end.

"Look I'm about to reach my station so explain yourself."

"Moody as ever, I see. Look the boys are uneasy about your visit to Hōzuki's school so when you return Monday, please make sure that you clear that up," said Naruto.

"Did you call only for that reason?"

"Actually, I just wanted to give you the heads up that Neji had sent his cousin in his place so in other words take care of my girl. I would never forgive you if anything happened her."

"Just make sure that you score goals for our school today and leave the girl to me." With that Sasuke hung up the phone and was in deep thought as to how it was possible that Hinata Hyuga happened to fall into the scheme of things.

He looked over at his neighbor who was trying to eavesdrop and suddenly accused, "Are you devising some kind of attempt to attack me here?"

Suigetsu sat back in his seat and defended, "Actaully I knew that you were going to attend so I had my connections hook me up with an invite."

"Why?"

"Didn't you talk to me yesterday and agreed to fight me? Anyway my sources tell me that you were attending this shingdig up in the mountains so I got my people to get me in. Now the interesting thing was that your girlfriend happens to be three compartments down from us. You are really lousy at setting up dates. I would hate to be your girlfriend. Poor Karen, she doesn't even know how shady you are."

"Karen is none of my concern and that girl in the other train compartment is not my girlfriend," confided Sasuke who couldn't understand why he was upset about this situation. He realized that some type of communication had occurred between Hinata and Suigetsu because there was that interesting sent photo and unknown caller who had called before he did. He wondered why the princess didn't mention this to him. While trying to piece these clues together from just looking at his phone he also just realized that the rich brat that was associated with Orochimaru also attended Suigetsu's school.

The train soon stopped and the two boarded the platform of the train station. Sasuke quickly scanned the people exiting the train and soon spots his target. She was timidly standing before the station's bulletin maps and looking down at her notes. He knew instantly that she felt lost but he didn't want Suigetsu to get any ideas about their relationship. Luckily, Temari, Gaara's sister, arrived by her side and Sasuke felt a bit at ease for the poor girl.

Sasuke instinctively dragged Suigetsu by his duffle bag toward the direction of the loading van. They both dumped their luggage and prepped for the long walk.

"Aren't ya gonna say hi to your lover?" teased Suigetsu.

Sasuke ignored him and started stretching. He was half excited that she came but the other half was worried about her presence in this predicament. He thought that she looked cute for once in casual clothing even if her coat was three sizes too large. As usual he felt that she was definitely different.

They began their trek up the inclined roads. He was prepared for this by wearing a jogging track suit and could only assume that Suigetsu didn't get the memo on the spiritual hike due to his fashionable attire. Sasuke quickly started jogging to put some distance between him and Suigetsu. He just felt that the guy was some kind of bad karma that was circling back to him from his past offenses.

By the time Sasuke spotted the van driving past him with Hinata looking like she was sleeping in the passenger seat that he quickened his pace in hopes that they may have a quick talk before anything happened. But his luck ran out again when he realized that Suigetsu wasn't that far behind. Sasuke could only figure that Suigetsu must have swindled a bike from a villager and was now biking alongside Sasuke's jogging pace.

Soon Suigetsu was bored and rode ahead. Sasuke could only assume that the guy was trying to hunt down Hinata first before he could have a chance. He took a break at a small family owned roadside vendor selling steamed dumpling.

The old lady with a large conical straw hat and hovering over the steamed pots suddenly tugs at Sasuke's vinyl jacket. "You want to beat the cheating rascal?"

Sasuke could only utter back to her with interest, "And what's that to you?"

The woman lifts a lid with steam rising from the pot and offered, "If you purchase a dumpling, I'll show you the way."

Sure enough Sasuke purchases the entire batch and was shown the route toward the temple. He bargained with the lady for the batch to be served for free to whoever crosses her path and she agrees. He didn't want a guilty conscious for cheating.

He travelled the hidden route that was used by the priests long ago who oversaw the temple before automobiles came about as explained by the dumpling seller. The path was shaded by trees and difficult to walk due to years of neglect. He had traveled up this mountain last year with Neji and didn't feel bad for not accomplishing it properly this year. The road intersected with all the roads circling around the mountain so Sasuke made sure that he was not seen when crossing the street.

By the time he reached the temple, he asked for directions to Gaara's family vacation home from the nearby villagers and sure enough he reached it before Suigetsu did. He spots the vacant van parked out back and knew that she was here somewhere. He decided to go toward the room that he stayed in last year to see if that was where the girl was.

But an unforeseen quandary occurred before he was able to touch the door knob. Sasuke was discovered by Kankuro and Gaara.

"Hey man, took you long enough to get here," protested Kankuro.

"How did you get here so fast when none of the other hikers have arrived yet?" asked Gaara speculatively.

Sasuke wasn't sure if he should be honest or just play along. He opted for a third route which was changing the subject. "Do you guys have a spare key to my room?" asked Sasuke pointing at the nearby door.

"Man you are ready to settle in already. Well, we're about to go eat. How about we catch a bite together and then look into finding some spare keys," offered Kankuro.

They all went to eat in the dining hall and Sasuke instantly spots the princess again. This time she was running off with Temari ascending the back stairs together. He didn't want the siblings sitting with him to know what was going on so he kept quiet about Hinata. As long she was with Temari, he felt that she was safe.

As they finished eating, Sasuke spotted Suigetsu entering the premises and walking toward his way.

He slams his palms in front of Sasuke and threatens, "I don't know how you did it but everything about you annoys me."

Kankuro stands up instantly and warns, "Break it up! This is not the place for it."

"And who may you be?" asked Suigetsu in an aggravated tone.

"The owner of this establishment," answered Gaara while he dabs his mouth with the cloth napkin. He finally looks up at Suigetsu when he was done and offered, "How about a friendly game later in the dojo? You could fight all three of us if it pleases you."

"Well, well. The rumors are true that Gaara of the Sand group is a fighting demon. I would be honored indeed."

"Please enjoy our hospitality until then," suggested Kankuro sarcastically.

Suigetsu leaves them and all three adjourns the dining hall. The siblings attempt to retrieve his keys but Gaara was wary of the decision after reading the assigned charts. Kankuro may have been misled by the H. Hyuga but Gaara noticed. Before Gaara could protest Sasuke grabs the keys and explained, "I am a man of my principles and only wish to protect what is mine."

Gaara looks straight into Sasuke's face with a fierce gaze and replies back, "Then don't disappoint me."

Soon the boys split up and Sasuke found this opportunity to search for her. She wasn't in the kitchen, the room, or the loud dojo filled with people doing demonstrations. He finally searches up on the roof and there she was in the midst of taking down the bed sheets. He walks closer toward her and sees that she was deep in thought to notice him as usual. He hid between a couple of clothes lines away from her. The flapping of the sheets and girls talking in the background could be heard but his concentration was on hers.

There was a scene in the story that he had always envisioned was something similar to this. How the two caught each other's eyes amidst a duel between the main characters during a mission by both. She was disguised as a laundress and he a merchant but both soon recognize the other and a fight ensues. He becomes impressed with her swift agility and craft in fabric manipulation while she was in awe of his cunning moves and quick reflexes. Somehow the girl had to admit defeat because he casually claims a kiss upon the maiden's lips which ignites a fire that could never be snuffed out.

He glides through the hung sheets and stealthily took an opportunity to touch her. With the next sheet she was about to undo the pins and fighting against the wind which had the sheet completely wrapped around her, he caresses her covered cheeks ever so lightly and disappears quickly like the winds that swept by.

Sensing that she was out of danger and away from Suigetsu, he continues to hunt down his duffel bag and prepares for the fight of his life. He was known as the 'silent sword' because his attacks happened so fast that his opponents usually complains that they didn't even hear his footstep or attack call in other words his war cry. There used to be one that he needed to beat before he could be considered strong but now his reasons wasn't to be strong but he finally had the will to defend and protect.

He wanted the picture of him holding her hands in the city streets to be kept as a precious memento and not to be used as a threat against him. Suigetsu and his gang will rue the day when they attempted to drag along his precious princess.

With the suspension over, he was finally allowed to adorn the school kendo uniform. He felt bad that his team was missing out on this opportunity to fight against other stronger opponents but understood that their loyalties also lie elsewhere. He fastened on the last piece of garment and secured it. He carried his bamboo sword and helmet to the fighting arena filled with tapestries of the different association's insignia. As he strolled under all the banners, he wondered if he would be a part of this world in the future. He soon caught sight of Kankuro and was ushered to a seat to on the floor to await his fight.

Sure enough there on the chalk board was his name written to fight against Suigetsu Hōzuki in the sixth quad section and starting in about twenty minutes. Sasuke took this opportunity to meditate and clear his mind. He tried to remember his fight with him last summer and if there was something he should be aware of. All he could remember was that it was quick and he won.

Soon his name was called amongst all the noise in the gym and readied himself on the red side while Suigetsu was on the white side. Hinata Hyuga he thought for a second, if there was ever a time that he wanted her attention; it was now because he didn't want to fight in vain.

The call was made by the referee and Sasuke for the first time was not silent. He screamed a war cry worthy of any samurai on the front line screaming, "Men," meanwhile faking a "Do" move but instead swung exactly on the opponent's helmet before he could make his third step. The red flag was raised by the referee and point declared.

Sasuke couldn't understand the sudden seriousness in his fight but he understood for whom it was intended for.

The second round began and this time Sasuke used reversed psychology to fake another thrust. His sword was readied to thrust the helmet again so that his opponent would defend by raising his arms too. Sure enough Sasuke lowered his sword quickly and swung at the opponent's ribs before Suigetsu's bamboo could attempt to touch Sasuke's helmet. Sasuke won when the referee announced, "Do," and raised the red flag.

He was still healing from the two ambush attacks but at this moment, he had never felt in better condition before.

They shook hands in a sportsmanship manner and Suigetsu snickered, "You sure do know how to impress the ladies. I raise my white flag to you and agree to our agreed terms."

"You couldn't possibly relay those terms again to me, could you?" asked Sasuke confidently.

"You annoy me as always." With that the captain of his enemies retreated.

Sasuke returned to his seat to undo his helmet and Gaara approached him later.

"How about another duel?"

"Maybe tomorrow but not tonight," offered Sasuke.

Gaara smiled and allowed Sasuke to leave early. He took a quick shower in the mens locker room and packed up his things.

He returned to his room and found what he was looking for all day. She was sleeping soundly on the futon and Sasuke couldn't understand the complete feeling of reassurance washing over him suddenly. He was just about to lean in to steal a kiss when she suddenly spoke out loud the one name that brought him back to earth, "Naruto."

He prepared his futon in the living room and tried to go to sleep but all he could think about was that she was something that he could look at but never possess.


	13. Chapter 13

Pursuit and Seduction

Hinata was dressed in Temari's old winter kimono and struggling with the slippers as she walked toward her party. She was a bit nervous to be dressed in such a lavish ensemble. Temari even did Hinata's hair up in a side swept bun and tucked in by a beautiful hair pin. She couldn't believe what happened today that led up to this.

The day started chaotically as she awoke to a noisy and lively group eating breakfast in her suite. All of Konoha's second year club members were present along with Temari and her brothers. Naruto was actually the one who came in her room and woke her up with a feather used to tickle her nose. She awoke screaming and scrambling about while trying to figure out; who, what, when and why.

She didn't calm down until Temari explained what happened beforehand. Naruto was bored and gathered all available to join Sasuke on this trip. Said that Hinata needed chaperones and they were the capable volunteers. They all took the early train and asked Temari for a ride and the rest was history. She didn't understand half the jokes that were voiced but the different commotions occurring in her room wasn't easy to follow either.

She was still in shock that Narato was the one who had woke her up. She had terrible dreams about facing Naruto again due to her newly realized guilt. Even when she was eating breakfast, she couldn't look at Naruto. She snuck several glimpses at Sasuke who was playing seriously with Gaara on a game of Chess. He didn't notice her all morning. Even when she entered the inner suite with Naruto, Sasuke completely ignored her. Even when Temari explained everything by teasing everyone, he still didn't look her way. She wondered if Sasuke had lost interest in her or had found a new toy elsewhere to tease. Whatever the reasons, she couldn't help feel irritated by his act.

Later they all waited for Hinata to bathe and change for the morning tournaments. She found out then that only the pros were participating and she was to sit with her group in the bleachers as spectators. She sat with Naruto in front while Sasuke sat a few rows behind her. Again, he never once looked her way. She tried to reason with herself that her time of happiness had finally bloomed but the uneasiness was ruining the allure. She finally got the attention from Naruto that she had always wanted but it was lost in her state of split desires or her affections toward was replaced by another.

She couldn't pay attention to all the groups and leagues being called or awarded. She didn't react to Naruto like she used to. She was sad knowing that Sasuke was this close but didn't notice her at all. She wondered if she had offended him or made him mad in any way. Here she was starting to understand her feelings for him and now he was acting strange. Even when the sand siblings came out to thank everyone for attending and participating, she couldn't sit still to pay attention.

When the crowds were clapping their hands to applaud their hosts, Hinata stood up and ran out the room. She was furious with how he ignored her today and her hate for him again brewed slowly as she walked outside. She marched toward the nearest pole and kicked with all her might but as soon as she relieved some of her aggravation on the pole that she soon regretted instantly due to the alarming pain developing in her toes. She slumps to the ground and admits defeat to her clumsy act.

It wasn't until she was accosted by a young man offering her assistance to stand up again.

"Thank you," she finally said as he helps her up.

"No need to thank me for I have ulterior motives of my own. I was wondering if you could accompany me tonight at the temple festival. It would really make me happy because I don't know anyone here."

The guy looked harmless and kind enough to help her so she didn't feel threatened by his offer. She replied, "I'm not really here with anyone in particular but if you don't mind joining me and my school peers."

"No, no, what I want is to spend some time with you alone," he clarified as he lifted her hand and kissed it. "You definitely won't regret it. Meet me behind the temple building and be sure to be alone."

The tall platinum silver haired stranger walked away singing, "I'll be waiting."

There was something about his speech from his last statement that sent chills through Hinata.

Everyone suddenly walked outside looking for her and she instantly felt caught when Naruto found her.

"Hinata if you're not feeling well, you should return to your room," suggested Shikamaru.

"You didn't look well all morning," observed Chouji.

Naruto suddenly leans in and places a hand on her forehead. He whispered, "Did Sasuke do anything to you?"

She pushed him back and shook her head to answer him but the attention caused her to instinctively want to run. But it wasn't until she looked up and saw Sasuke standing behind Sai and Shino that she noticed the dark growl on his face. All her balance was gone and she suddenly felt light headed.

As she swooned, she instantly felt arms circling her waist and carrying her away. She let all the pent up emotions flow slowly away as she closed her eyes and relaxed in the security of whoever carried her weight with ease.

In her state of unconsciousness, she wandered into a dreamland where her hurting feet was being pampered and tickled at times. She giggled and allowed the hands to roam freely on her legs. By the time she awoke, Temari was sitting nearby.

"Thank goodness, you awoke," exclaimed Temari as she helped Hinata sit up. "I was afraid to leave you here alone while we were having fun at the festival."

"I'm sorry to bother you but please go on without me," pleaded Hinata as she realized what she had caused.

"Don't be silly. I already have your kimono laid out and the guys are waiting for us downstairs. Come on."

"But."

"No, buts. You owe me for sitting here while waiting for you."

Temari then helps Hinata into a beautiful Kimono inside the locked infirmary. As Hinata tried to put on her white socks, she finally noticed that her stubbed toes were wrapped with a thin cold compress sort of bandage. She removed the bandage and wondered if Temari was the one who applied it.

All the garments were on loan except for Sasuke's scarf. It seems Temari found it while searching through Hinata's belongings for any personal accessories that may make her more comfortable.

After a quick touch up with hair and make-up, Hinata and Temari were walking hand in hand down the stairs. Seeing how everyone looked so hyped up to attend the festival by dressing in formal yukatas that she felt she needed to hide her pain from the kick and act casual.

They all walked down the road toward the temple nearby. Loud drums were played as they arrived and Hinata felt like the place sparkled as if the stars had flew down on earth to play.

She tried to avoid Sasuke and allowed Naruto to guide her through the crowd. They played at the game booths together which eventually caused them to be separated from the group. It wasn't until Naruto ran off to catch a flying balloon for a crying child that Hinata was lost in the crowds. Her foot was hurting and she found a quiet place to sit down. It was on the steps of the temple with two small foo dogs on the sides.

Suddenly somebody from behind covered her eyes and asked, "Have you waited long for me?"

She didn't recognize the voice but didn't like the way he said it.

He then sat down beside her and she instantly turned to face him. She soon recognizes him as the guy from earlier when she stubbed her toes from the kick.

"I was getting worried that you weren't gonna show up," he confessed.

She felt that she never intentionally came here to meet him but since he was here she might as well make the best of the situation by just being friendly.

"Can I say that you look beautiful tonight?"

She felt awkward due to his compliment but she really didn't know how to react to that.

"Hinata," he leans in closer suddenly and touching her chin. "Am I too impetuous if I was to tell you that you draw out the devil in me? Let me have a taste of what he yearns for."

She felt trapped by his hold on her and feeling uncomfortable suddenly struggled from his grasp. As she tried to stand up, she fought against his grip on her waist and lost her footing due to the awkward wooden sandals which caused her to fall on her face. Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't understand why she was being treated this way but instinctually as he was tugging at her bow she screamed at the top of lungs, "Sasuke!"

Just as she screamed it, the young stranger was soon lying beside her on the ground unconscious. She looked up and saw a scary looking Sasuke scowling over her. She was frightened from the attack that she just sat up halfway and began crying out loud. She let out all her frustrations ever since a certain shoe hit her in the back, someone demanded that she wear their tie, sexually assaulted her, and other interaction with the bully before her.

He takes out a handkerchief and carefully wiped away all the dirt on her face. When he finished cleaning her face, he whispered, "Idiot."

She continued crying and sobbing. He then gently removes her soiled sock from the stubbed toes that was stubbed again from the recent fall. Again he whispers, "Idiot."

He slowly lifts her up to lean against him and walks her toward the nearby well. There he leans her against the brick well and pulls up a bucket of water. He lifts a section of the bottom half of her kimono and instructs her where to hold onto. He then raises her naked thigh while he pours ladleful of water on the bruised toes. The water glides down her calf and then her ankles. He continues pouring water until it was cleaned.

His hold on her thigh sent many different messages to her brain but the cold liquid flowing along her skin only intensified the sensations from the hold. For one second during the rinse, she let out a soft gasp that made her body suddenly tremble. He slowly yanks at the scarf around her shoulders and began dabbing on the wet leg. Again, he whispers, "Idiot."

At this point she had forgotten about her sobs and tears that she was completely focused on what the Uchiha was up to next. It was as if he had waved a wand and magically changed her mood and disposition.

After drying her leg, he wraps the wet scarf around his shoulders, and turns around bending slightly with his hands signaling for her to climb on. She complied willingly and even hastily as she hugs his shoulders affectionately. She felt secure as he lifts her up off the ground and repositions her legs around his waist. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders. Again he whispers, "Idiot."

They traveled along the quiet road with the sounds of the fireworks heard from behind them and lights and shadows overlapping before them.

Suddenly he spoke, "Remember the white haired maiden and her lover's wife to be fighting in the forest. Well, the fight soon ends with a shrewd trap set up by the white haired maiden. She had somehow managed to attack by threading an invisible string connected to yards of fabric hung on trees and once the strings were cut by the bride's sharpened flying pins, the fabrics wraps around by securing the pin thrower. The trap wasn't intended for her but for the groom instead. It was intended for him to cross but instead she manipulated the trap during the fight to fit the situation. But to catch her off guard, she also needed a diversion which she cleverly threw her more advanced technique of a dragon in flight."

"Just as the white haired maiden was about to touch the bride's face, her lover appears behind her and grabs her wrist. The maiden was saddened by her lovers attempt to save his bride that she lowers her arm in defeat. They hold hands just like how they used to do when they had secretly met up before. Suddenly the bride screams his name and the façade between the two breaks like little pieces of glass falling everywhere and distorting their views. The maiden quickly injects a needle in the man's wrist and swiftly like the wind flies away. As he removes the silver object from his skin, the maiden's voice echoes around the two with a warning, "If you return to me, I will forgive your village but if you remain as their leader then I shall return with a vendetta that will consume your people.""

"The man releases his wife to be and knew by the look in her eyes that he should explain to her his relationship with the so called ghost. He poured his heart out to her about his fierce and passionate love for the girl who could dance ribbons around her like a mythical nymph. He shared with her the stories of how they met and clandestinely met up when both were on missions for their village. Because both were heirs to their clans, they kept the relationship a secret. He told her about their written pledge of love on the mountain and how they vowed to be with the other forever."

"The bride was devastated that her husband was in love with someone else and not just that but with the enemy and the ghost who had been haunting the land. She also sympathized with his agony and proposed a plan of how he was killed at this spot so that he could return to his true love. But his sense of loyalty urged him to properly rule his clan with dignity like his forefathers did. Her persuasions were lost in the wind and he accepted the challenge even if it meant killing the one person he couldn't have."

Somewhere along the way back to her room at Temari's estate, Hinata had fallen asleep on his back. When she awoke in her futon, she found everyone from the kendo club were sleeping everywhere on the floor of the inner suite. She also realized that she was wearing the undergarments of the kimono and that her hair was released from last night's accessories.

She clumsily tip toes toward Sasuke's futon, kneels down and leans in to whisper, "Thank you." As the words were released from her lips, she without thinking had laid a quick kiss on his lips that sent her heart pounding and body temperature rising to a boiling point. She was so in shocked by her display of affection that she ran to the bathroom to shower. She was troubled because as Sasuke had foretold her before, their next kiss would be initiated by her had come true and along the way she was seduced by him.


	14. Chapter 14

When One Waits in Vain

"How did you get down here?" asked Suigetsu who was half asleep and yawning as he sat down next to Sasuke on the bench at the train station.

Sasuke points at the large crowd of men standing nearby to indicate that he had caught a ride with them, one of the kendo leagues from the retreat.

"So you woke up early just to thank me?" humored Suigetsu.

"Don't push it."

"You looked so pathetic standing in the distance that I assumed you needed a hard shove last night. With your looks alone you could get any girl you want but you had to settle for your friend's girl. It was quite amusing just to watch you yesterday. I didn't know that the likes of you would have a hard time in this department."

The approaching sound of the train alerted the two to standby as it prepared to stop. Sasuke had woke up early but had to find other means to a bathroom because someone had beaten him to it. He packed up and left to perform his morning grooming rituals somewhere else on the premises. From there, he found many others who were departing and made arrangements for the train. As he calculated the train schedule that Suigetsu would most likely take, he guessed correctly on which train he was going to catch first. He had some things that needed to be cleared before the guy could leave here.

They entered the compartment and both sat down waiting for the train to depart. The fog was thick outside and Sasuke couldn't help feeling uneasy about what he was about to unearth.

"You dodged my attack last night when you were fooling around. You knew exactly where I was aiming for yet you purposely turned so that I would hit your face instead." Sasuke was furious when he caught sight of them together on the steps. He was trailing Suigetsu most of the night at the festival but it wasn't until Naruto was running past him struggling to catch a runaway balloon drifting away that he soon lost track of his target. That was when he realized: the girl was alone and Suigetsu was up to something.

"When one senses an aura of killing intent rushing toward them, the ideal precaution is secure a way for escape with the least amount of damage," he answered sarcastically. Last night in the heat of the moment, Sasuke raised his hands to incapacitate him through a swift precise blow to Suigetsu's neck. But Suigetsu turned around to face him and smiled instead which caused Sasuke to hesitate and only exerted half the force he had intended for the blow.

"So how's your face?" Sasuke also felt just a tinge guilty for reacting that way when he should already know how shallow this guy is. He looked over at Suigetsu playing it up by placing a hand on the swollen cheek and exaggerating the pain. Sasuke rolled his eyes in defeat and wondered how he could be manipulated and easily deceived by the likes of him.

"If you were that perceptive then why did you lose to me in the duel?" asked Sasuke changing the subject.

"You know that quote; 'An eye for an eye' or whatever. I was just paying you back for my boys. So we're even now. I didn't want to draw that kind of attention to myself and I like knowing that I broke your sword's silence. It was nice to see you fight seriously because when we fought in the past, your blows were weak. I admit that you were fast but your swings were never meant to injure the opponent. Am I right?"

Sasuke couldn't understand this person but he had to admit to himself that he had met a formidable foe.

"So who ordered your subordinates to track me down and assault me?"

"Sasuke, Sasuke. You think everything is about you, huh. Well, I only have two names to give you. One is our school's newest sports beneficiary, the Orochimaru Group and two is the newest chairman of our school, Karin. Her parents just bought out the school and named her president. The party you ditched the other night was her announcement party. And if there's one thing that they both have in common is you; they both want a piece of you."

Sasuke had an idea that the recent ambushes were connected to that old man but Karin was a different story all together. He sat back in his seat and sighed from the revelation.

"Man, you sure took care of my face. I wonder if I could get more clients looking like this," said Suigetsu slumping more in his seat too.

"Where do you work? In a host club?" asked Sasuke mockingly.

"Yah, why?" answered Suigetsu seriously. "Don't tell me you wanna visit me. Please don't, you might steal my number one spot."

The train was approaching another stop and Sasuke prepared to board this platform began packing up. The two guys in two different school uniforms stood up to split ways at the door.

"Under the circumstances, I don't like you," said Sasuke as he walks onto the platform and then turns around to add. "And another thing, she's mine so don't ever touch her again."

"Only if she crawls over to my turf, then consider her taken," Suigetsu sticks his tongue out and waves goodbye as the door closes.

Sasuke rode on three more train rides before reaching Konoha, he estimated that his classmates were already at school and that he was probably going to be late due to his little detour.

Just as he was about descend the steps of the train station, there sitting on the steps were his teammates and Hinata.

"Why," he asked but was cut off.

The guys rallied and explained that they couldn't return to school without their captain so Sasuke walked to school with a loud bunch of guys and a girl who kept avoiding his stares. He then made a call to Kakashi hoping that he could come up with an ideal excuse for them to enter school. Sure enough just as they approached the gates, the guard allowed them entry without his usual fuss.

This time because Sasuke was the cause of their tardiness, was sent to dump all their luggage in the dojo for temporary storage. He carried them in loads and when he came to retrieve the last load, she was there waiting for him.

"What, thinking of skipping? Not a good idea if you remember who the student body president is," warned Sasuke as he carried the rest.

As they walked toward the dojo, he wondered if she was still in pain from the incident. It was swollen when he carried her to the infirmary yesterday and scraped up when he found her at the temple steps.

She looked troubled and uneasy about something. He took his phone out and texted Kakashi if he could also admit two students in the infirmary without their actual presence being there. And once again, Kakashi obliged once the names were given.

He instructed her to sit on the doorsteps of the dojo while he transported the rest of the suitcases and duffel bags in the boy's locker room. He returned with two bottled water from the dojo's ice box. There they sat in silence for awhile allowing the wind to stir the fallen leaves as it pleases around them.

He reaches in his jacket's outer pocket and pulls out the charger for his brother's phone. "Here, you'll need this." He hands the charger to her and noticed that she looked down about something. She didn't even thank him or look up. She just let the charger sit on her lap and dazes off into the distance where more leaves were dancing.

She finally speaks up but doesn't look happy, "So does the couple in your story have a happy ending?"

"Let me see, I believe we left it off at the point where our leading man finally made a decision to challenge the white haired maiden's threat. Up to this point, the girl's village was also experiencing the same sightings of a ghost haunting in their village too with the same description. They were at the time missing a leader and were in the process of choosing the next in kin to replace her. The village declares her younger sister as the ruler."

Sasuke then could sense incoming company and slowly pulls at Hinata's collar jacket toward the direction of the dojo's foyer where the shoe racks were located. They both creep inside quickly and Sasuke closes the doors from the inside. He hoped that the bystanders didn't have a chance to spot them cutting class and directs Hinata to walk further in so that their voices wouldn't be heard from the outside.

He throws his book bag on the ground and lies on top of it while she sits against the wall. He continues while looking at the ceiling, "The sister soon realizes that the village's problem was a strong adversary who slays without warning and always leaves one survivor and bloody messages. She felt that their neighboring clan was also suffering from the same enemy so she decides to forge an alliance with their long time warring nemesis. She was successful with the proposal due to the situation and both clans agree to capture or kill the murderer upon sight for the safety of both villages through combined efforts. With that the Koga's leader, our guy, formulates a trap which requires him to be the decoy. Since the confrontation with the ghost, his wife had avoided him and kept herself busy with all the surveillance detail and precaution plans agreed by both clans. Even with all the tight security, the ghost still manages to enter nightly with ease and the killing also increases each day that passes by."

"Meanwhile he was suffering from the pierced needle that the white haired maiden had stabbed his hand with from the night of his wedding. His ailments included the weakening of his eyesight and suffering from strange nightmares. The final preparations to the elaborate trap were finally in place and set on a night that would lure the white haired maiden in. They staged an elaborate funeral for the leader of the Koga clan while unbeknownst to both clans except for the married couple, the identity of the ghost."

Suddenly the school bell rang. The two started packing up for class and exited the building.

Just as he was about to lock the door, she tugged at his shirt from behind and asked slowly, "What if the object of your fascination finally recognizes your existence and reciprocates a somewhat similar type of attraction toward you?"

Sasuke was taken aback with her question because he felt that he was also traveling on the same boat. Before Sasuke could even ponder on why the girl had voiced such a predicament, he quickly answered, "Within my powers, I would try to secure that person's happiness and never let her regret ever returning these selfish, overprotective and needy sentiments of mine." Sasuke felt embarrassed about saying such things out loud that he never turned around to face her and continued locking the doors. By the time he turned around, she was gone.

Instead of attending class, he marched straight to Kakashi's office. There he found an empty bed and quickly fell asleep.

By the time he awoke, Kakashi had bought lunch for him. He sat up in bed and Kakashi threw a sub at him.

The physician soon asked, "So, what's bothering you today?"

He shook his head and continued eating in silence. He couldn't tell his senior that he just openly confessed his feelings and was immediately rejected. But then again, he couldn't figure out what that was all about.

His phone had been vibrating all morning because he knew that they were all text messages from Naruto. He slowly browses through the massive list of strange texts ranging from boxer short revelations to inquiring his whereabouts. They consisted of the usual messages from the blond. He soon reaches one that completely caught his attention. It was from around the time when he was talking to Suigetsu in the train. It read: "I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend. Wish me luck."

He slumped down further in the bed and completely ignored the physician's usual quippy chatter. He browses through the rest of the texts to see if she had answered Naruto back but none were a congratulatory message. The last message was from Karin. It read, "We need to talk. I'll pick you up after school."

Right now all he could do was wait. Wait to see what the princess's reply is and wait to see what Orochimaru wants this time.


	15. Chapter 15

Maintaining Friendship and Sacrificing Dignity

"That's the last of it," announced Naruto as he carried the remaining luggage from the dojo's locker room.

"Man, I'm so tired. I could sleep on this cement right now," commented Kiba while he waited for Naruto to lock up.

"I wonder why Sasuke never came back for his bag," speculated Shikamaru.

"The next time we do something this strenuous, let's cancel practice," offered Shino while yawning.

They all had played a game on Saturday and then traveled early the next morning to Gaara's vacation home. Now the next day, they made it through another school day with an added bonus of soccer practice to prepare for next week's game.

"Stop whining you guys. I'll see ya'll tomorrow. I gotta drop these off. Later," he said while waving good bye to his teammates. They split ways as Naruto entered the school building again and the rest of the party left toward the school gates.

Naruto knew exactly where the two remaining culprits were but he couldn't figure out if he was about to interrupt anything or be between two clueless amateurs battling it out at a game called love.

Just as he made it to the first level stairs, he was approached by the school's chairman sitting on one of the steps while looking out the spacious window.

Naruto looked around to see if there was a reason for his strange and sudden appearance but there were no signs of abnormality to be found anywhere. Even if the chairman was his Godfather, he never made it public or wanted any type of special treatment at school.

"Wassup old man?" hollered Naruto toward the quiet gentlemen. The elder robust man dressed in a suit and carrying a cane suddenly got up and pointed toward the direction of the upper level. They ascended the stairs together but Naruto couldn't understand the feeling of uneasiness slowly escalating inside of him.

As they were about to ascend the next level, they were stopped by a sudden, "Yoohoo," heard clearly from down the hall. They both turned toward that direction and were met by the school physician walking lazily down the hall toward them.

"Sorry I am late. I was in a middle of a good book and," explained Kakashi.

"No need for formalities. I just found the boy not too long ago," interrupted Jiraiya. Again they continued up the stairs with a third party in silence.

To Naruto this could only mean one thing: they were on a damage control mission. Jiraiya has always loved this school and could only watch it progress from the sidelines. But he always manages to secure the school's prosperity by working behind the scenes.

They finally reached a certain floor and then walked to a certain door that he wasn't particularly sure if he wanted to enter. He never liked the guy but was certain that the dislike was mutual.

Jiraiya knocks with his cane twice and the door was opened by a blond who Naruto has always thought was hot but could never act upon it due to her close friend, his crush. They walked into Neji's office which apparently started looking like a harem of girls was at his beck and call. Naruto's jaw dropped from envy and soon had to compose his outer appearance.

Even under the circumstances, he couldn't believe this guy's luck. He knew that Neji was training Sakura and Ino for the next school term while Neji himself was preparing for college entrance exams but the nerve of him to have this much girls holed up in such a small space under his influence only made Neji one-up to Naruto's nonexistent love life. Naruto felt dejected as Neji excused Sakura, Ino, and TenTen to exit from their meeting.

Naruto lipped, "Call me later," to Sakura as she left the room but was received with a hard punch to his stomach. Naruto tried to look cool could only answer back in pain, "I love you too baby." The other girls left giggling while Sakura stormed off angry.

Now that the room was quiet, Neji began, "Are you here about this?" He threw a newspaper on the coffee table while Jiraiya and Kakashi were settling on the couch. Naruto found a chair nearby and threw the duffel bags on the floor as he sat down.

Neji sat opposite of the two on a matching sofa. Naruto thought the guy was way too composed for his age but inside he was harboring a bit of jealously about the harem earlier.

"The question is: What now?" answered Jiraiya.

"The usual financial funding for our Kendo club has always been from the Orochimaru Group. If they ever decide to back off, we would be at a disadvantage. Seeing that he wants Sasuke, he has definitely devised a plan with some sort of guarantee of Sasuke leaving here," deduced Neji.

"So we need to find out who or what Orochimaru is using as the trump card persuading him to join them," offered Kakashi.

"It was decided long ago that Sasuke wasn't too keen on continuing his family's legacy therefore we pushed him into different sports. When he showed some promise in kendo, we could only encourage him from the sidelines. Now kendo maybe used as the blackmail for Sasuke to leave us and join up with Orochimaru," reminded Jiraiya.

Naruto looked at the newspaper. His insides boiled from reading the bold print and looking at the picture of Orochimaru cutting the ribbon to a school that has been bought out by his clients and naming his group the new financial backing for their sport's department. All these years, their Kendo club had endured with this guy just to persuade him to donate funds to them but to see him willingly back up an entire school's sports division was intolerable to witness.

Naruto was upset and suddenly stood up and grabbed his belongings. As he walked toward the door, he replied, "Don't worry about Sasuke. I know his weaknesses better than anyone."

"Did you know that he left school in a limo which belonged to the Orochimaru Group?" informed Neji.

"Then that means I will have to move faster. Later guys. Oh and Neji, I guess I'll be eating at your place tonight. I'm taking your cousin out for a bit," he teased as he walked out the door and waved. The door closed but Naruto could have sworn that he saw Neji in the most pleasurable pained look he had ever witnessed before. Now he felt that they were even for the harem show earlier.

He continued up the stairs and knew that the one person who could bring Sasuke back was in his possession. He just hated playing the role of the second pursuer in this courtship. He knew what Suigetsu was doing when he caught him with a kid's balloon and tying it to a candy and setting it up for flight at yesterday's festival. He knew that Sasuke was trailing Suigetsu so he had to look conspicuous by running past him. He watched the whole fiasco from far behind Sasuke and didn't turn up until the two left. He was the one to wake up Suigetsu and invited him to some drinks at some of the food vendors.

He was always watching after the guy known for being a genius with some serious grumpy behavior. He knew that the two had some kind of attraction for each other but was in complete denial. He liked knowing that he could get her attention easily while Sasuke had to work ten times harder. He liked playing the matchmaker but he didn't like to be the one who had to convince her that Sasuke was the better candidate.

Even when Hinata woke up early to thank Sasuke, Sasuke soon left afterwards. The two to him were completely hopeless. He had it planned out that if he asked Hinata out this morning, she would realize her feelings sooner. Instead she asked for more time and was completely aloft today. She skipped classes and was gone most of the day. Now Sasuke was gone and if Orochimaru wanted Sasuke, he had to act first.

Before opening the door to the roof, he composed himself and tried to call forth a gigolo like façade. He had to play the role of a seducer or else Sasuke would never get the girl. He thought of himself as a true friend who was never given enough credit.


	16. Chapter 16

Interpreting a Dream

It was windier up on the roof today than usual. She had been watching everyone leaving the school grounds all evening and couldn't believe that she was still hesitate about answering Naruto back. She was in shock from the proposal of courtship but what shook her off balance was what Sasuke had answered earlier.

To have someone return your feelings was to her a perfect solution to a union. The only thing wrong now was that she couldn't see herself with Naruto. She couldn't accept the improbable to actually become probable. Amongst the roaring winds, she could clearly hear the door open and close from behind her. She knew that it wasn't Sasuke because he had left in a limo that had been parked in the front for awhile when she was skipping classes today. She could have sworn that he looked up for a sec when she was leaning over the railing like she always did afterschool and he was walking toward the limousine. At that moment, he looked so sad. All she wanted to do was reach out to him but again her cowardly self only stared in vain and hoped that her intentions were felt through the winds.

She could hear the person coming closer and knew that it could only be Naruto. She suddenly felt a soft thump on her head and she quickly turned around to see instead the school doctor.

She bowed her head and greeted, "Dr. Kakashi."

He was carrying a book and he opened it to remove a sheet of paper. He handed it to her and then explained, "If you are going to use my infirmary as an excuse to cut class, at least fill out the proper forms." He then handed her a pen and she willingly complied.

"Thank you, doctor," she finally said meekly as she returned the completed forms.

He shoved the documents in his book and replied back, "No problem. So, what is ailing you?"

She couldn't tell him about Naruto's sudden confession or her wavering heart. Instead she opted to tell him about Sasuke's story. She told him in detail all of what she had took in so far and he had a look of complete attentiveness. She thrilled him with the ups and down of the courtship between the two and what both faced apart. Now that the two were at odds with each other, she told him about her doubts of a happy ending.

"If I recall correctly, doesn't she die a virgin?" responded Kakashi almost sarcastically and ending any hopes she had for the star crossed lovers. Her jaw dropped and aghast of her elder's attempt at ridiculing a maiden's journey toward happiness. She knew that it was the original ending but somehow she was hoping that Sasuke would retell the sad story by changing some of the facts.

"Well, thanks for the pep talk but I have other appointments to attend to. Later little kitten."

The man in white walked away from her and left her stunned by his casual remarks. She had to step back for a minute and grasp the underlying meaning of his retort. She knew that stories couldn't be used as actual references for reality guides in romance but they spoke to her heart. Especially this one and it may be because of a certain story teller that was sharing it. But deep down, she was wondering if he was trying to share something important to her that she completely did not understand.

Just as he was about to exit the door, he screamed back at her, "If you need a bed to rest, you can in the infirmary. It's a bit lonely there but I am sure you can make do. I'll be out for a bit so I'll mention it to your cousin."

Maybe she had over analyzed this simple man in a physician's coat. She thought that she needed the rest and left the roof.

Just as he had said, the infirmary was empty and the beds looked comforting with the swaying of the curtains. She laid her head down and instantly fell asleep. In her sleep, she could hear his voice clearly narrating the story. It continued from where he left off at the suspenseful funeral march.

The hero lies inside a coffin that was carried away by the selected pallbearers. The coffin was escorted by the people of both villages. His wife had selected a raised hill to erect a mausoleum for her husband's pseudo-funeral and far away from his ancestral tombs. She was afraid of the possible destruction to the rest of the family's resting place by the hands of the white haired maiden. Just as the procession reached the destined tomb, everyone was horror-struck by the graffiti written everywhere on the walls of the once pristine tomb.

The wife and sister of the white ghost approached the tomb and began reading the writings on the outer walls. It was the copy of the vows written on the mountainside by the two lovers before. The characters were written in blood and the two guard's life that lay on the ground was killed by suffocation so this was the ghost's blood. The words were beautiful and romantic which brought tears to both women's eyes.

The wife finally realizes that what the graffiti was at all the ghost sightings were; they were bits and pieces of the original vows. It was as if the original was written on a paper and then it was torn to pieces. Each piece was then scribbled at each destination which explained the reason why no one could decipher it except for maybe the leader of the Koga clan. The wife finally bears all about the identity of the ghost to the leader of the Iga clan and the sister explained that she had a suspension that it was her sister at fault.

The wife and the sister then continued with the funeral and instructed the casket carriers to leave the coffin in the dark crypt for they had not captured the white haired maiden. As the men left the tomb and closed the doors, the sister ignited all the wall torches for the wife to send her husband to the unknown. They both read the graffiti on the inside and were saddened by the writings. It details the maiden's journey from when she descended the mountain to the time she went mad. The wife opens the coffin and lets her husband out. The two bid their farewell and points at the table where he should be lying on. There on the table was the lifeless maiden herself, the culprit to the other three's problems.

Seeing that she was dead and the act was over, the two women left him in the tomb to grieve alone. He walked around slowly to read her love letter to him. How she missed him daily and waited for him to properly ask for her hand in marriage. She would have defied her village if he had only showed up to declare his intentions. She studied night and day believing that one day he will show up. But instead she received news of him meeting with a matchmaker. He broke her heart and sent her spiraling downward into despair. When news of his wife was chosen, she escapes one night to see for herself what was happening. There she witnessed the beautiful bride to be chatting with her lover in his garden. They may not have been intimate but seeing him being kind to the stranger was all she needed to grieve.

She camps out on the mountain in a cave and began studying the techniques her mother had passed down to her long ago but forbade her to study it when she was immature in strength and mind. She disobeyed her mother's dying wishes and continued with the aged old teachings from her clan. Her mind was half on thoughts of him while the other half burned with desire to kill him which eventually led to her insanity. The journals end there and he finally approaches the table where she lies.

He lies down beside her and holds her cold body. He tells her about his days after their vows on the mountain. How she made him happy when they met before during their courtship. He confesses his daily doses of poison since the time they met up again on his wedding night and thought that she looked beautiful even in a white dress and white hair. To him she should have been the real bride in white. Her needle wasn't poisoned but he lied to his village so that he could self-punish himself while being their leader. He finally figured out the messages one night which began his self loathing. He laid there wishing for redemption and for a reversal of fortune for both of them.

Later that day, the wife and sister returned to retrieve the Koga leader but the whole crypt was gone and all that was left were ashes on the ground slowly drifting away with the wind. The two clans formed an alliance of truce and the two women became the next leaders. Soon a legend was born that if anyone finds the written vows inscribed upon the mountainside would be blessed in love or cursed like the couple.

Hinata awoke with tears trickling down her face and felt a warmth upon her lips that she could have sworn a person had touched her. She sat up and looked around but all she found were winds from the open windows causing the curtains to dance. She touched her lips and wondered what had happened. Suddenly she noticed a handkerchief on her lap. She had lost it a few days and here it was right before her. She remembered embroidering the little kitten when she was young. It was actually a gift to a little boy but the memory of that was vague just like the kiss that she just felt.


	17. Chapter 18

Time Spent with Cats are Never Wasted

"Sasuke, are you sure about this?" asked the school principal as she lifts the school resignation documents back at Sasuke to take back but he stood before her determined.

She bit her lip in aggravation to his defiant act and finally relented by placing the letter on her desk. "Fine, then please return all school properties in your possession to my secretary and make the proper regards to each faculty member here. You will be dearly missed and has been a tremendous asset to our school."

Sasuke was stoic as always as he bowed his head and left her office.

He attended some classes today to fulfill his last wishes there at the school. He resigned as the captain of the Kendo club, being a member of that club, and all the other clubs he had substituted in the past by Naruto's insistence.

Yesterday, he knocked off two from his agenda. One, was sharing the rest of the story with the girl and two, was dueling with his respected senior. He returned to school yesterday to retrieve his bags. He snuck in Kakashi's office to get his school bag. There he found the girl resting on one of the beds. He felt guilty about starting a story and not ending it properly so he sat down beside her, leaned in, and began on the ending. Right toward the end there, he witnessed tears and began dabbing them.

At the moment, the only thought in his mind was that he would really miss her and knowing full well, how the girl would never look his way. He leaned in and kissed her. Not as heated as the first one or an innocent peck like their second but more intimate with all the different emotions rushing through him. If it wasn't for Naruto smiling like a tree monkey outside the window then, Sasuke thought that she would have awoken like a sleeping princess in fairy tales who awoke by a prince's kiss.

He quickly left her side and went flying out the window with his bag to chase down the fowl monkey. They walked toward the school gates together and Naruto finally threw Sasuke's overnight bag at him. Sasuke finally spoke, "Thanks and take care of her."

Naruto looked a bit surprised and answered, "Giving up already."

"Yeah," and with that Sasuke left the school toward his next destination.

The duel was a proud moment for Sasuke. His senior may have had some time off from the art but he was primed as always. They fought in a private dojo with TenTen and Lee as their referees. Sasuke struggled at first but something about Suigetsu's words finally dawned on him midway through the fight. Whatever respect he had for his senior, he had to displace them then and focus. Sure enough after a series of lackluster moves, he finally scored a point and made an indention on Neji's armor. The call was made and instead of losing to Neji like last time, they tied. He was finally at par with his senior.

Having done those two yesterday, he felt that he could finally leave Konoha High without any guilt. For once in classes today, she stared at him. He liked knowing that she finally recognized his existence among all the other students in the class. It was a nice treat for his last day there to have his friend's girl finally look his way.

He ignored everyone's gossip about him. He didn't care because he knew the truth. He didn't want to feel like a martyr so he didn't give them much heed. He left on the condition that the Kendo club would not be demolished due to his deviant actions outside of the school and the Orochimaru Group would continue their sponsorship to their team. Also with his enrollment to Karin's school, the Orochimaru Group would find another benefactor for the sport's program there which would alleviate the shame on Konoha High. But he bargained his future in becoming a Kendo professional and joining Orochimaru's league. He left that option to be decided again until he graduated High School. All these deals were handled by Karin and Sasuke had to admit that the girl had a future in business.

As he walked down the path toward the front gates after the last bell, he was thinking that this would be his last time here. It was cold and windy. He liked the smell of autumn. They were like a mix of cold swirling air and freshly fallen crisp leaves. His phone vibrated and he looked at the caller id. There in bold was the name "Alice."

He was happy to receive the call but something made him hesitant. He continued walking when suddenly he heard something drop on the ground from behind with a heavy thud. He quickly turned around and found a shoe a couple of yards away. Due to curiosity, he went to fetch it and suddenly another flew by him as he crotched down to collect the first one. The second one missed him by half a foot and went flying behind him by a couple of feet. He went ahead and grabbed it too maybe for the reminiscence of the girl he had attacked not too long ago.

By the time he looked up searching for his assailant, there were small white papers littering the sky above. By the way they danced and swirled above him, they were like a thousand small cranes had taken flight from the top of the roof. One sheet finally descended to the ground near him and Sasuke picked it up to observe. There written boldly on the small paper like the ones hung on Tanabata Day by writing a wish on a card and hanging them on a bamboo tree, "Sasuke is like an old perverted man when he lifts my skirt."

As he picks up more pieces of white paper falling slowly to the ground, they all begin with his name and end with a brief description about him.

"Sasuke looks cold and his words bite but he is kind and warm."

"Sasuke always looks out for his friends."

"Sasuke excels in the art of Kendo and lives by their philosophy (only on the surface)."

"Sasuke is mysterious."

"Sasuke is like the Mad Hatter due to his bipolar personality."

Before he could take in the insults or praises, he was already running at top speed toward the one place he knew the shoes he was holding belonged to, was waiting. He quickly scaled the stairs two or three steps at a time. He raced up there like his life was on the line. His heart raced in eagerness and in anticipation of what awaited for him up there. Just as he turned the doorknob, he could feel his chest pounding as he heard her scream his name out loud. "Sasuke!"

His name reverberated throughout his body as he ran toward her leaning over the railing. He grabbed her so quickly that she tripped on the shoes he had dropped and they both fell with her on top.

He held her in his arms and closed his eyes to calm the excitement inside of him. She sat up on him and instantly started hitting him. "How dare you end the story so? I hate you! What is all this talk about you resigning? "

He reached up to touch her face and sat up also so that he could hug her properly. He whispered in her ears, "Thank you."

He could hear her sob on his jacket and suddenly she confessed, "I won't run away anymore. If you'll accept me, I'll try to learn more about you. Today, I could only come up with about double of what you had asked of me so maybe with time I could write more."

He was already satisfied with how she bravely showcased her feelings but to have her ask him out was tickling him to death. Then the mirage started to waiver before him and he asked, "And Naruto?"

"He turned me down properly and I wished him the best of luck with Sakura. I just found out that they have been dating for a while now."

He tried to sense if there was any uneasiness in her behavior but she looked content announcing the news as he pushed her away to look at her face.

He finally asked, "So, what do we now?"

"Well, you should start with collecting the bits and pieces of my love letter or else the whole school would be reading it."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders in defeat and complied with the princesses' wish. He slipped her shoes back on and said, "Did you know I play a mean air piano?"

She took his brother's phone out of her pocket and hit the record button, "Note to self: Sasuke Uchiha plays a mean air piano."

He pats her on the head while smiling wickedly and replies, "Good Kitty." She was similar to his brother's old cat that died along with him in the crash but they both took some time to realize his intentions.


	18. Chapter 19

Fortune Befriends the Bold

"Naaarruuuttttooo!" screamed Sakura as she chases him down the hall.

Neji could only shake his head in annoyance to such noisy commotions during school hours. He wondered if the school would be alright in her care after he leaves this place. Classes were changing from second to third period. Next would be lunch. He wondered if TenTen had made anything edible today. Lately she had been experimenting in simple lunchbox preparations. Luckily Lee's parents owned a restaurant so he always had a back up.

His cousin Hinata used to make lunches for Hanabi and him but ever since the whole Naruto fiasco started, she had been slacking in that department. But it wasn't until it was finally clear on the day it snowed here recently that he realized who was the responsible party involved. What looked like thousands of snowflakes falling from the sky were actually small notes of a certain someone she had been enamored with only recently. Before the snow incident, he could have sworn that her crush was Naruto. The annoying guy's face was plastered everywhere in her room and all their conversation eventually ended with him. Since the turn of events, he has been slowly adjusting to the new notion.

Neji never thought that she knew her current boyfriend's existence before this. The news became a shock to him. Also the news that Sasuke was withdrawing from Konoha High was another story all together.

He urged an alliance between the parents of Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino to be the new benefactors to the Kendo club. They each owned a famous traditional and long standing business operation that worked synonymously between the three. He had brought this up before with their parents but this time he was persistent. He had Chairman Jiraiya and the senior advisor as back up and a positive presentation that shows the advantages in being their sponsor. He made sure to add that their union could increase sales amongst the female population with Sasuke as the captain of the club. He convinced them to sign the papers overnight and had it published in the news the next day. But it was too late to reach Sasuke's attention, the Kendo club captain continued with his withdrawal the next day. Neji could have killed the idiot for not watching the news on the one day that he was supposed to.

Neji also met up with Orochimaru a couple of nights ago, discussing the dissolution of their partnership. Seeing that the Orochimaru Group was using underhanded tactics to obtain one of his students was foul in every sense. He wished them well in the coming years with their new sponsorship and apologized that their contract had ended on unpleasant terms.

Ever since Naruto bought a stubborn and disagreeable friend to the Kendo club, Neji knew that Sasuke was different. In a short period of time he polished his skills and learned the art faster than anyone Neji had ever trained. The kid executed every attack with precise blows and swift foot motions that were impressive. He lacked fear and sometimes he was arrogant in knowing that he was the better contender to win. Neji also believed that if he stepped down as captain it would give Sasuke an opportunity to learn what he was lacking. Neji just never realized that all it took was a girl and not just any girl; his cousin.

If he knew that he was carrying the trump card all along, all his sacrifices were in vain.

He had college exams coming up soon and he needed to finally go on a date with his girlfriend. They had been going out for awhile now in secret but he never showed her properly how much she was important in his life. He was so busy taking care of the student body, his family, and studying that he neglected his other responsibilities. Since witnessing the snowy white show of love, he finally had the nerve to kiss his girlfriend when everyone else was crowded around the windows watching the whole winter scenery. They had been having problems as a couple but that moment will always be a memorable moment in his life.

As he walks to his next class, he spots Sasuke waiting outside the ladies bathroom. They nodded at each other as he walks past his friend. He was more at ease knowing that Hinata was in capable hands compared to the loud blond running down the halls. But he finally found a punishment worth giving Naruto to make up for the hot pot incident and deceiving Hinata's heart. Starting today, Naruto was to bring Hanabi home after club activities in Neji's stead. Knowing that Hanabi was a clever girl, she could easily drive him mad with time.

Hinata's crush for Naruto had sprung since elementary school. He was the class clown and she was the shy wallflower. Naruto had the kind of personality that she was drawn to because she lacked all those characters. He suddenly realized that Hinata has grown up in many ways but to him she will always be the timid cousin with bad taste in men but that perception has changed.

He remembered how long ago she asked to bring home a particular stranded black cat home and her father rejected her instantly. The cat was left at the gates of the nearby park in a box and she would come and feed him every day. It wasn't until one day a bunch of little brats took the cat from its box and somehow placed him on a high three branch that she couldn't reach. She cried at the trunk until a dark haired boy climbed the tree and fetched the cat. He was cut from the clawing and she was too happy in the cat's recovery that she forgot to thank him or ask for a name. When she came home with a cat snuck in her sweater, she told Neji all about the cat's misfortune.

Seeing that her father didn't allow her to have pets, Neji went out of his way to find an owner. He plastered posters around town and soon enough his senior in middle school came to claim it. His senior was a well known artist but Neji never cared for status, he was just happy to get rid of a problem. Soon Hinata started hanging out the park late and Neji had to retrieve her every evening one summer. She explained that she made a gift for her cat-saver and wanted to give it to him. But Hinata or Neji never came across a dark haired boy with cat scratches all over his face. That was probably the only time that Neji could recall Hinata being rebellious or persistent about.

Which may explain her recent actions, he had observed on the evening before the snow presentation. Naruto brought her home and both were deep in thought and throwing ideas back and forth about how to secure Sasuke at Konoha High. Naruto explained that Sasuke was acting strange since he spoke to whomever in the limo and Naruto knew then that foul play was amidst. Hinata tried to come up with a plan that would tie him down at the school but wasn't very confident with some of her suggestions.

Neji quickly approached Naruto and asked, "So what is this weakness you speak of?"

Naruto only smiled and pointed at his cousin and quickly Neji apprehended Hinata to spill the beans. She told both men and an eavesdropping sister outside the living room about her relationship with Sasuke Uchiha. She spoke about the skirt and the tie incidents which Neji completely without thinking had crushed the remote control in his hands at the moment to smithereens. He couldn't believe the nerve of the Uchiha trying to touch his cousin in such a shameless manner. He finally calmed down again and asked that she continued. As she openly confessed about her stay at the retreat, he was thinking deep down inside about why there should not have been a tie earlier in the duel between them but a win/loss scenario with him being the victor.

But after hearing the entire events of interactions between them, he was a bit sympathetic and was already on the phone with the chairman and the Kendo club's senior advisor. Neji soon left and had Naruto watch both his cousins so that he could handle his business. That day was a long day for him and Neji could have sworn that his junior was becoming more of a pain in the ass than anything else.

Whatever Hinata and Naruto schemed up had to be the final act in persuading Sasuke to stay. What Neji couldn't believe how daring and bold her presentation was. She had definitely come a long way. Maybe she just needed a jerk to yank her out of her cocoon.

The End


End file.
